A new national framework for respectful relationships education sets out an ambitious plan for Australian schools, but early evidence suggests teachers are being asked to deliver it without the training required.

The Australian Government’s National Respectful Relationships Education Framework, released on 13 March, aims to “support primary and secondary schools across the country to plan and deliver age-appropriate, evidence-based respectful relationships education”.

The initiative is a key to the Government’s ambition to end gender-based violence in one generation.

In developing the framework, researchers conducted a national Rapid Review Survey to identify how primary and secondary schools in Australia are delivering respectful relationships education.

The survey revealed that three quarters of the programs are delivered by “internal school staff”.

“Despite this, many teachers have not received professional learning and development around respectful relationships education and only one in five said their school implements a comprehensive whole-of-school approach.”

Lead researcher and Director of the Monash Gender and Family Violence Prevention Hub, Dr Naomi Pfitzner, said realising the vision of the Framework “requires a significant investment in professional learning” so teachers are equipped with the knowledge and skills to confidently educate students about respectful relationships.

Associate Professor Emily Berger from Monash’s Faculty of Education who leads the Trauma-Informed Education and Research Impact Lab, said, “Teachers are deeply committed to fostering safe, respectful learning environments, but they cannot do this work alone”.

The researchers pointed out that respectful relationships education is now mandated, but teacher training is not.

Language matters: calling out violence against women and girls

In late April, respected researcher Dr Stephanie Wescott told the Herald Sun that the proposed program should be explicitly rebranded as violence prevention to tackle misogyny “head-on” in schools.

“We can’t skirt around this. We need to prevent violence in Australia because we have unacceptable levels of violence against women.”

She said misogyny is “an accurate description of the experiences of women and girls in Australian schools”.

Collective Shout founder Melinda Tankard Reist told the Herald Sun, “Boys aren’t born like this”.

“We need to be looking at parasitic algorithms that pour misogynistic violence into boys’ feeds. Boys are being groomed by the culture into a sense of entitlement to do whatever they want to women and girls.”

UK aims to halve violence against women and girls

In a program announced late last year in the UK, teachers will be given training “to spot and tackle misogyny in the classroom”. The BBC reported that, “high-risk pupils could be sent on behavioural courses as part of the government's long-awaited strategy to halve violence against women and girls (VAWG) in the next decade”.

Teachers will get specialist training around consent, the dangers of sharing intimate images, how to identify positive role models, and how to challenge unhealthy myths about women and relationships.

There will be a new helpline for teenagers to get support for concerns about abuse in their own relationships.

The program aims to address “the early roots of misogyny”, to prevent young men from becoming violent abusers.

Under the plans, schools will send high-risk students to get extra care and support, including behavioural courses to tackle their prejudice against women and girls.

If you or someone you know is affected by sexual assault, domestic or family violence, call 1800RESPECT on 1800 737 732.

LINKS:

BBC: UK anti-misogyny campaign

Herald Sun: Extra teacher training is required

Herald Sun: Experts call for focus on violence and misogyny