Bullying in school is a widely documented problem. From speeches by education ministers to work by charities, we are continually assured that work is being done to combat bullying based on gender, race and class. Though legislation to prevent sexual harassment in the workplace exists and supposedly tackles this issue, the problem of sexual bullying in schools in relatively unpublicised. One charity, however, is working to change that.

Officially launching as a charity on the April 21st, TeenBoundaries is the only charity in the UK devoted solely to combatting sexual bullying and teenage issues in schools. The charity plans to run six-week educational programmes to tackle the problem, which will be aimed at secondary school pupils aged 11-16. Programmes are tailored to suit males, females, a mix or a particular target group, aiming to promote awareness of the problem and combat it directly.

So what is sexual bullying? TeenBoundaries defines the term as “any behaviour, which degrades someone, singles someone out by the use of sexual language, gestures, violence and victimisation of appearance”. This can range from name-calling and comments on bodily appearance to actual sexual violence, taking place during school or outside of school hours in social groups and on networking sites.

The prevalence of such activities is on the rise in younger and younger children. Government figures show that in 2006-07 there were 3,500 fixed period expulsions and 140 expulsions for sexual misconduct from schools in England. In 20 cases, the child involved was just 5 years old.  A report by BBC Panorama uncovered further alarming statistics. Of 273 people surveyed in conjunction with charity Young Voice, 28 revealed that they had been forced into doing something sexual that they did not want to do. These figures demonstrate the true occurrence levels of a problem that is very rarely given the level of credence it deserves.

As well as their structured lesson plans, TeenBoundaries is running a number of campaigns to stop sexual bullying. These include lobbying for introducing compulsory lessons on the subject in schools, more government funding, more counselling available for the victims of sexual crimes, a more responsible media in relation to such issues and stronger deterrents and conviction rates for those committing sexual crimes.

To find out more, visit www.teenboundaries.co.uk