SDLP Education Spokesperson Cara Hunter MLA will propose an amendment to an Assembly motion on Monday seeking support for specific guidance in the curriculum on consent, coercive control and positive relationships.
The East Derry MLA has been campaigning to introduce specific guidance on consent education for the last number of years and has pressed previous Ministers and the Secretary of State to make the move to address misogyny and violence against women and girls.
Speaking ahead of Monday’s debate, Cara Hunter MLA said:
“Introducing specific guidance to help schools effectively include content prioritising consent, warning against the signs of coercive control and encouraging positive relationships is one easy way that we can tackle misogyny and violence against women and girls.
“I have been pressing successive Ministers and the Secretary of State to take this very basic step of equipping young people with the information they need to make better, more informed choices as they set out to build relationships throughout their lives. I hope that all parties will support our proposal in the Assembly this week.
“If we are ever going to properly tackle the issues around attitudes to women and girls then we need to begin by educating them about these issues as soon as possible. It’s not good enough to subcontract this to external groups or to hope that kids get the right information – we can provide it in a safe environment in our schools. The Department of Education needs to take responsibility and ensure that our young people are educated about these issues in the classroom.
“By teaching young people about consent and healthy relationships we will equip them with the tools to build positive relationships with the women in their lives and, I hope, reduce instances of misogyny, hate and violence against women and girls.”
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