Abuse and Exploitation in Teen Relationships
An Issue for Youth Work
Ninety-three percent of youth and community workers registered for the YWCA Scotland / Zero Tolerance Training on abuse and exploitation in teen relationships have experienced this problem within their practice.
Nine out of ten have noticed young people making comments they thought were hurtful to others because of their gender, sexuality or sexual behaviour and more than half were aware of young people exchanging images or texts where the content involved harmful gender stereotypes or was sexually demeaning or abusive.
Two thirds of youth workers have witnessed behaviour that gave them cause for concern that a young person might be involved in an abusive or controlling relationship. According to one, “There are a high level of teenagers in controlling relationships. They are unable to see this due to low self-esteem, are unable to remove themselves from relationships and tend to put up with alot.”
Almost 40% said that young people had reported feeling pressured into engaging in sexual activities they felt uncomfortable with. Some reported concerns about young girls appearing and behaving in a sexualised way, feeling pressured into having sex and the role of alcohol and drugs in sexual activity which they later regretted. This reflects some of the findings from the government’s recent Bailey Review on Commercialisation and Sexualisation and Young People.
The experience of Scottish Youth Workers echoes findings of the 2009 University of Bristol and NSPCC report Partner Exploitation and Violence in Teenage Intimate Relationships, which cited the negative long-term impact of abuse, particularly on girls and young women.
YWCA Scotland and Zero Tolerance are working in partnership to deliver training to youth workers in Ayr, Galashiels, Edinburgh, Livingston, Kirkcaldy and Dundee to raise awareness of the signs of abuse and exploitation and equip them with skills to help them with early intervention and prevention activities in their practice.
YWCA Scotland will be following up those undertaking training to find out how the will use the learning in practice, identify the strategies and activities that have proved most effective and share knowledge of good practice with others who work with children and young people in Scotland.
A full summary of participant responses can be found here (opens in new window).
