Stereotyping boys as abusers ‘will demonise them for life’
THE “scapegoating of boys” in response to claims of rape culture in schools will leave them unsure how to behave towards women, it is claimed.
Chris McGovern, a former headmaster and current chairman of the Campaign for Real Education, warned that boys risk being “demonised” by the sex attack scandal in schools.
The former government adviser on education told The Telegraph: “We don’t want boys to carry the burden of the world. There’s bad apples but when we are letting gender war happen, it’s leading to a demonisation of boys.”
His comments come as girls in London stage walkouts over abuse at the hands of male peers, amid mounting concerns of an institutional problem surrounding rape culture.
Many of the top independent institutions have been named on Everyone’s Invited, an Instagram page with 33,000 followers set up last year by former pri
‘The boys need as much care, attention and support as the girls. We must not label half the world as a problem’
vate schoolgirl and sexual abuse survivor, Soma Sara, 22, as a platform for claims of sexual harassment.
Following the death of Sarah Everard, reports to the website have rocketed to 6,000 testimonies amid a national conversation about women’s safety.
More than 100 schools are named and the Metropolitan Police said it received reports of “misogyny, harassment, abuse and assault” via uploads.
There are accounts from girls as young as nine on the platform which describes itself as a “movement committed to eradicating rape culture”.
Females have written personal accounts of “rape culture”, sexual abuse or assault by current and former pupils. They also identify the school or university the alleged perpetrators attended.
Highgate School, Eton College, St Paul’s Boys School, Dulwich College, Latymer Upper School, Westminster School and Highgate School are among the private schools identified in thousands of unverified accounts published.
Highgate School in north London will be launching an independent review into issues raised. Mr McGovern was “horrified” by some of the testimonies and said “there are real problems and a culture pattern [of rape culture]”.
However, he added: “The boys need as much care, attention and support as the girls.
“Boys are almost half the population and they’re being demonised. We have to consider everyone as an individual and not label half the world as a problem.”