When girls tell us they're facing misogyny, we need to listen. But we also need to act.
The experiences shared by a group of schoolgirls from Tyneside are difficult to read. The young women describe facing misogyny, sexual harassment and even rape threats as part of everyday life.
Their stories are a stark reminder that violence against women and girls doesn’t begin with the most serious incidents. It often starts much earlier, with language, attitudes and behaviours that become normalised and go unchallenged.
At Safer London, we know that when young people tell us they feel unsafe, we need to listen. But listening is only the first step.
It goes without saying that girls and young women who experience harassment, abuse and exploitation must receive the support they need to recover, rebuild confidence and stay safe. Too often, the focus falls on how they should alter their behaviour, rather than on the individuals and systems creating the harm.
But support alone won't prevent future harm. If we're serious about preventing violence and disrupting cycles of harm, we also need to think about what drives these behaviours in the first place and how we intervene before they escalate. That means asking questions about the children and young people displaying these behaviours. What are they learning about relationships, respect and power? What messages are they consuming online? What experiences have shaped their understanding of how to treat others?
The answer can’t simply be punishment alone. This isn’t about excusing misogyny. It’s about preventing future harm. A safeguarding-first approach means recognising harm and helping them understand the impact of their behaviour. It means intervening early, before harmful attitudes become entrenched and before behaviours escalate.
Every young person deserves support to build healthy relationships, understand consent, develop empathy and navigate the influences around them. When we fail to provide that support, everyone loses - the young people causing harm, the young people experiencing it and the communities around them.
The girls in Tyneside have done something powerful. They’ve used their voices to draw attention to a problem many young women face every day. The challenge for all of us is what happens next. Will we simply be shocked by their experiences? Or will we invest in the support, education and early intervention needed to make sure fewer young people experience harm and fewer young people go on to cause it?
If we’re serious about change, creating a society where every child can thrive, free from violence and exploitation, means supporting those who have been harmed while also helping those at risk of causing harm to understand their behaviour, build healthier relationships and move towards safer, more positive futures.
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