PSHE Association responds to crime survey on abuse during childhood

The PSHE Association has today called on government to recognise the scale of the challenge the nation faces in relation to abuse during childhood in response to new figures showing the scale of such abuse.

The Crime Survey for England and Wales of over 35,000 adults aged 16 to 59 finds that 11% of women and 3% of men were sexually abused during childhood. Of those who had survived sexual assault by rape or penetration during childhood, the report finds that around 3 in 4 victims had not told anyone about the abuse at the time it happened.

Responding on behalf of the PSHE Association, Chief Executive Joe Hayman called for more action from the Department for Education on this issue. Joe said:

“These new figures highlight once again the scale of the challenge we face in Britain relating to abuse of children and young people, and as a country we should be doing everything we can to stop such abuse happening.

We call on the government to treat education as a key tool in the fight against such abuse. Evidence clearly shows that PSHE education helps to break cycles of abuse, with young people who get such education more likely to recognise unhealthy relationships and more likely to seek help if they experience abuse. This is challenging work which needs to be undertaken by trained professionals with adequate curriculum time. We once again call on the Department for Education to give PSHE education the statutory status it deserves.”