Blog Layout

Human Rights and Sexual Abuse

Addressing Sexual Harassment in School: Using a Human Rights Framework.

The webinar exploring sexual harassment in school using a human rights framework was a fantastic opportunity to understand sexual abuse in schools, and human rights education as a right and an obligation. We recommend that you watch the video recording of the webinar as it offers important insights that can help all teachers and educators in understanding how these topics are combined.

You can see the presentation in the video here: 

The questions and participation were not included in the video, but have been summarised here as they add to the conversation, and we wanted to share these ideas too.


An introduction to the hosts.


Audrey Osler is a Professor of Education at the University of South-Eastern Norway and at the University of Leeds, UK. She is Editor-in-Chief of  Human Rights Education Review. She has expertise in working for reconciliation in post-conflict settings in Asia, Africa and the Middle East. Her most recent book is Human rights and schooling: an ethical framework for teaching for social justice and she is currently writing Where are you from? No, where are you really from? drawing on history and memoir to discuss empire, migration and belonging (Virago Press, 2022). 

Twitter: @ÁudreyOsler:


Beate Goldschmidt-Gjerløw is a researcher and PhD candidate at Agder University in Norway. Beate is a political scientist specialized in peace studies and conflict transformation. She has taught politics and human rights for many years in upper secondary schools and is lecturing in teacher education programs at various universities and colleges in Norway. Her current research explores how teachers address sexual violence in upper secondary schools. Beate is editing the anthology Controversial, emotional and sensitive issues in school (Universitetsforlaget, 2021). You can find out more about her research and publications here

Twitter: @beate_gold


Key questions from the webinar


Question - I was a primary teacher and I think young children can suffer the same social injustice and have a similar experience of not being listened to. Have you any work that you can cite that shows that very young children also need to be aware of what their human rights are, and be aware that they have the right to be listened to and not to be sexually harassed because they can experience this in muted ways as well as overtly. Is there any information on this?


Audrey Osler - I would just say that in the UK we have a comprehensive Rights Respecting Schools programme on child rights education in some schools, developed by UNESCO. Where children do learn about their right to express themselves and to be confident to ask questions to engage with human rights in this very concrete way, they are able to address everyday issues, and understand sexual harassment and other concerns. However, I have a reservation also because I have come across examples of Rights Respecting Schools that may contradict this. Some human rights education  may be more concerned with certain forms of discipline to manage children’s behaviour. So, I think that any of these programmes can be used for good or ill.


Participant Comment - Thank you for a letting me join in, I am a former primary school teacher myself and I'm now currently doing a PhD focused on primary school teacher’s ability to detect and intervene towards harmful sexual behaviour in primary school. So, it is good that we can cover all stages of school here. Teaching children from a very young age how to voice their opinion, and how to tell people about violations of human rights, not only sexual but any, is essential for children. The teacher has such an important role in modelling the behaviour you want to see in creating a safe space for children to talk. I mean the safe space has to be there regardless, for children to exercise their participatory rights and controversial issues.


Answer from participant and Ph.D. Research Fellow Kjersti Draugedalen - We have all this research from not only Norway but from worldwide, saying that children and young people who are sexually abused can take around 17 years to tell anyone. But if you as a professional can become this significant other, the chances are much higher for children to actually share these kinds of traumatic experiences sooner. However, teachers tend to outsource this difficult teaching about sexual violence, and when you outsource it to people there isn’t necessarily that special bond and it disables that communication, because you don't have that fundamental trust that is needed. Schools often outsource their human rights education as well through NGOs and so on, which kind of amplifies the problem.


Question - Do Teachers have a legal obligation to report any suspected mistreatment of students to a governmental body? For example in Canada when a teacher suspects mistreatments they are obligated to report the case to the children's aid society and social services. Is that the same across the world?


Beate - It is in the Norwegian legal framework, the Norwegian Education Act, that if there are suspicions that any learner is experiencing violence, there is a duty to act and it depends on the nature of the violence how it is reported. If it's sexual violence they should report to the child protection service if they have a suspicion, and if they have a very firm suspicion they can also contact the police.


That leads nicely onto another question that we've had. Which is about what is unprofessional and illegal in terms of sexual harassment. A teacher who was doing some training said that the other teachers were asking what specifically are the terms for sexual harassment.


Experiencing sexual harassment is very subjective and it entails all forms of unwanted sexual attention and it can be verbal, it can be digital, it can be non-verbal, through body language and it can also be physical. So, it has both verbal and non-verbal, and physical dimensions. Harassment can take many forms, it can be sexual harassment, it can be heterosexual harassment, it can be harassment that is based on sexual orientation, or harassment based on gender non conformity. So, there are many different faces of harassment.


Question- Nice to meet you thank you so much for the good presentation. I've just recently trained teachers on school related gender-based violence and they really paid great attention, and they were very happy when I read the violation paper. I also include a pledge to do something about our past violence. When I read these documents, many of them were all missing that part. If I have another chance to train teachers, how best can I get them to commit to things like documenting the cases and referring these cases of violence against children?


Beate - Thank you, I would speak very warmly of the Convention on the Rights of the Child and highlight that every child has the right to education, and the right to education also includes the right to sexual education, and that sexual education also includes education on sexual violence. Include articles about children’s rights to protection and the right to be heard. I would very much link it to the rights of the child.


But perhaps you would prefer more didactical resources? I've written about different kinds of resources that you can use in my paper on children's rights and teacher responsibilities. These include all sorts of things from picture books, digital resources and all kinds of things you can use.


Audrey - Young children are often very excited to learn they have rights, and to understand them. However, many people fear that children who are told about having rights will take advantage of that. But I have never really found that to be the case, because children also stand up for each other, and protect each other. I think most education that equips children with rights doesn't actually threaten the adult, or others.


We are all interconnected, and I think that activist element is teaching children from a very young age that they have rights, but they also have responsibilities to each other, to help uphold each other's rights. I think that creates very responsible, and very caring young people. I think it's a very powerful way of building on the caring that children bring to school, and it's building on the caring they do for their siblings and friends when they arrive in school. It's a very basic everyday action, it's not just dealing with the critical incidents that can happen.


Participant Comment – I’d like to see these things added to the curriculum here in Sierra Leone, so that teachers can incorporate this into their teaching. Otherwise, teachers won’t include it, because they won’t think about it, and understand the necessity of it, because they spend all their time on curriculum subjects. Thank you.


Thank you for reading, we hope that you have been able to watch the video too, as it offers an invaluable insight into this topic.

Please leave your comments below to tell us your thoughts too. Do you feel confident about how to approach incidents of sexual violence and harassment in school?

Steve Sinnott Foundation • February 26, 2021
By Ann Beatty March 28, 2025
Spring is definitely here, daffodils, blossom and crocuses are all basking in the bright sunshine. There is still a chill in the air in the shade but it's happening and all the seeds that were sown over the last few months are coming to fruition. At the Foundation, we have been planning the year ahead and our Positive Periods and Prevention of Gender Based Violence programmes got underway this weekend in Haiti and Ghana. These projects will have a long-lasting effect on the lives of the women and girls who take part: tackling the root causes of gender-based violence and enabling girls to attend school every day when they have their period, to feel safe at school and know how to take action when they are faced with violence. These are the first of many projects planned for the year ahead as we continue to work towards Education for All children everywhere.
By Hannah Frisch March 7, 2025
The outlook for the achievement of Sustainable Development Goal 4 (SDG4) on global education is far from rosy. But a gloomy future isn’t inevitable. Disappointing statistics are the result of political choices that can be shifted and there are thousands of youth, grassroots activists and civil society organisations across the UK advocating for global education to make these changes. We need more people involved to build the momentum, we need to make a difference in challenging circumstances. You can help! Here’s how; Making global education a UK priority The UK is an important donor and champion for global education. However, education has been gradually deprioritised on the development agenda. Global education spending has plummeted from 13.5% of Official Development Assistance (ODA) in 2013 to just 3.5% in 2023, and education was one of the sectors hit hardest by the abandonment of the 0.7% gross national income (GNI) target for ODA. With Labour’s annual budget confirming another reduction in the aid budget, funding for global education is under threat of being cut even further unless we stand together to say this can’t happen. While education is a domestic priority for the new Government, it has yet to emerge as a strong theme in their development agenda. As the Labour Party continues to develop their approach there is a unique opportunity for advocates to connect these dots and make the case for why education must be a key part of the Government’s international plans. For the Government to take action it needs to hear demand for change. There are many issues MPs recognise are important, but if they do not hear about these issues from constituents it can be hard for MPs to be vocal about them in Parliament. Following an election where many parliamentary seats were won with tight margins, MPs need to hear from the people they represent that global education must be on their agenda. With over half of MPs elected for the first time this year, many are actively looking for a steer on what issues to work on. We can give them one! How to Get Involved Write to your MP about why global education needs to be a bigger priority for the UK Government and encourage members of groups you are a part of, such as your union branch or a local community group, to do the same. This can have a real impact on your MP’s interest and ability to act for global education. You can also connect with other grassroots activists and get resources for taking action from international development advocacy organisations like Results UK. You can learn more about Results UK’s grassroots network on our website. If you are a teacher, get your school involved in the Send My Friend to School Campaign (SMF). Send My Friend is a UK civil society coalition advocating for SDG4 which supports a mass UK schools campaign to amplify student voices calling for universal quality education in solidarity with their peers around the world. Free campaign packs are available on the SMF website for primary and secondary levels with everything teachers need to run the campaign in their school. Parliamentarians can learn more about education issues and how to act by joining the All-Party Parliamentary Group for Global Education, a cross-party group that brings together Parliamentarians interested in the right to education and provides them with knowledge and resources to be champions of the issue. By joining our voices through collective action, we can make a real difference in moving the needle on this issue. Together we have a chance to rechart the course for the realisation of quality education for all. BIOGRAPHY Hannah Frisch is the Senior Policy and Parliamentary Advocacy Officer for Education at Results UK and a Co-Chair of the Send My Friend to School Policy and Parliamentary Working Group. She is a policy advisor for the All-Party Parliamentary Group for Global Education in the UK Parliament.
By Melanie Lavery March 3, 2025
Last year the Steve Sinnott Foundation supported the work of The Federation of Drama Schools by providing financial aid to new graduates, enabling them to take part in an industry showcase at The Abbey Theatre in Dublin. The showcase is an annual event for Irish graduates who have completed a professional training at one of the Federation’s partner conservatoires in the UK, introducing young actors to the industry they hope to work in. The Federation of Drama Schools partners are institutions that provide conservatoire vocational training for those who want to be professional performers, theatre makers and technical theatre practitioners. The courses they offer are for students of eighteen years and over, who have completed their school level education. In November (2024) fourteen young Irish graduates took part in the showcase and the SSF provided financial support to two graduates who may not otherwise have been able to take part in this showcase, which is a bridge between training and their professional career. Melanie Lavery from the Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama is one of those who benefitted from this support. Melanie writes of her experience. I would like to say a huge thank you to the Steve Sinnott Foundation for the support I received, making it possible for me to take part in the Dublin Showcase 2024. The opportunity allowed me to work with graduates from across FDS schools and widen my contacts in the industry. Coming from a socio-economically deprived area, I’ve often missed out on opportunities available to my peers. I have had to spend a lot of energy during my three years in drama school working to support myself and this has meant I often don’t have time to follow up network opportunities. In receiving this sponsorship and taking part in the showcase I have been able to connect with other Irish creatives - the people I am acting opposite, directors, casting directors and agents in the industry. These industry showcases are so important for graduates. It gives us the possibility of networking with industry professionals and hopefully the opportunity of taking that first crucial step into the profession we have trained for. As I studied in Wales, it gave me the chance to return to Ireland and to reach out to creatives there. The Foundation gave me this amazing opportunity to kick start my career in my home country. On the day of the showcase, I had such pride watching my fellow Irish peers performing on stage at Ireland’s National Theatre. Working together throughout the rehearsal period, I got to know them individually and we all helped each other to grow as performers. This showcase has helped me to create my own community of actors around me. When it came to talking with other creatives after the show case, I became so much more aware of how large and welcoming the industry is in Ireland and how much work is being produced here. I think this show case is so important as it highlights how vibrant and growing the industry is in Ireland. I feel so lucky that I was able to take part thanks to the help of the Steve Sinnott Foundation. For more information on the Federation of Drama Schools, professional industry showcases, and it’s partner schools please visit www.federationofdramaschools.co.uk
Share by: