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Young activists are leading the way in sexual violence prevention in schools

In recent years, we’ve seen a steady rise of online misogyny, nurtured by incel forums, alt-right platforms and disinformation.

In today's digital landscape, it has never been so important for young people to receive robust and consistent education on consent, gender equality and healthy relationships. Central to these efforts in Scotland are prevention workshops delivered by local Rape Crisis Centres. But what happens after these workshops?

At just thirteen years old, Shetlander Jessica noticed that the absence of ongoing education from her school had made discussions of sexual violence a taboo subject among students.

Feeling something had to change, Jessica and a friend contacted the workers at The Compass Centre - Shetland’s local Rape Crisis Centre - who helped them to set up the Bold, Equal and Empowered (BEE) group, a youth activism group that works to break the stigma around gender-based violence.

Jessica describes BEE as a "safe space to talk and to bring up issues that we felt were really prominent in the school and in social groups and to try and break the stigma around all these issues".

"Being a part of the BEE group is great because it's so nice to be in a group where everybody's so likeminded and it's a completely judgment-free area."

BEE - like all Rape Crisis youth activist groups - is inclusive, welcoming young people from all backgrounds and all genders and sexualities, which Jessica knows is important for preventing gender-based violence:

"Feminist activism covers more than just direct violence against or discrimination against straight white cis women, it’s discrimination against transgender women, queer women, women of colour, disabled women and other minoritized women."

Through BEE, Jessica has had the opportunity to connect with other young activists through the Rape Crisis network across Scotland. During the summer, four Rape Crisis youth activist groups, from mainly rural areas, met in Glasgow:

“I think the BEE group’s biggest achievement was definitely coming to Glasgow in July for the Glasgow Women's Library. I think it was really important for us, it was just nice to feel like recognized as a group because in Shetland we’re so far away from where that kind of stuff is going on, we never really get to go see it. So, I think that was definitely a massive turning point for the group.”

"We went to an exhibition at the Glasgow Women's Library (GWL) and we got a tour and we got to look at some of their archives. We also got to make some feminism badges and it was really cool."

As well as providing opportunities for visiting feminist institutions like GWL, the trip was a chance for the youth activists to visit queer spaces, which are harder to come by in rural areas:

“On the second day we went to the queer bookshop and then in the afternoon, we had a brief visit with LGBT Youth Scotland which was really nice. My favourite part of the trip was definitely the bookshop.”

Since their launch three years ago, BEE have done great work: from lobbying Shetland headteachers to sign up to Equally Safe at School (ESAS) to running awareness-raising events such as their walk around Clickimin Loch in support of #WisToo, young activists like Jessica are leading the charge in breaking the stigma around sexual violence.

Facilitating youth activism is a crucial avenue for Rape Crisis Centres to reach young people, and activist groups are a great way for young people to meet peers that share their values and become involved in issues that matter to them.

Jessica certainly recommends it: “To anyone who is thinking about joining a youth activism group, I would definitely say go for it.”
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To find out what opportunities there are for youth activism in your area, contact your local Rape Crisis Centre. To find your local Rape Crisis Centre, visit our website here.