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Hi there everyone.
My name is Ms. Shaw I'm really pleased you're joining me again today to look at this lesson, which we'll be focusing today on harassment, abuse, and rape.
So, as I said, today's lesson, we'll be focusing on harassment, abuse, and rape, including the specific laws which relates to each of these areas, the potential impact that they might have on any future relationships that you might engage with, and also how to seek help or report concerns in response to any of these issues.
Now, this lesson does cover a sensitive topic, so therefore, we do recommend checking with a trusted adult before starting or doing the lesson with a trusted adult nearby.
So for this lesson, you are going to need an exercise book, or some paper, you're going to need a pen, and as usual, we're going to need our brains to do.
Hopefully, you should have already done your intro quiz.
What we will do first is to look at harassment, abuse, and rape and what these terms are defined by and the law relating to them.
Next, we'll focus on the potential impact on your future, including any sorts of relationships that you would engage with, then how we can seek support and report concerns, and finally, you'll finish off by looking at the key learning points and your exit quiz.
So the key words for this lesson are: harassment, which describes any kind of ongoing torment without the victim giving permission or wanting it to happen; abuse refers to treating somebody cruelly or violently, especially on a regular or repeated basis; rape refers to forcing someone to having sex when they are unwilling and/or does not have the capacity to consent, so to say yes or agree to it.
Now, it's important for me to point out here too, that evidence suggests that harassment, abuse, and rape, whilst quite often are perpetrated by men against women, it can happen in any relationship.
So it could be that the female is the perpetrator and the male is the victim.
It also happens within same sex relationships or within the LGBTQ+ community.
And also, trans people are often more vulnerable to forms of abuse, as well.
Now, when it comes to reporting, remember, you do not need to be certain that a crime has been committed or the legal name of that crime before reporting it.
The police can always be contacted on 111 or 999 if it's an emergency, or you can report the incident online.
So in this first section, we will look into the UK laws relating to harassment, abuse, and rape.
So I'd like you just to take a few seconds to pause here and think about what actually harassment, abuse, and rape mean in terms of understanding what they mean, and then what do you think the laws in the UK might be that are in place relating to each of these areas? So we're going to start off focusing on harassment.
So, this is a criminal offence and a civil action under the Protection from Harassment Act 1997.
So it means that someone can be prosecuted in both the criminal and the civil courts, if they harass you.
But what does harassment actually mean? Well, it's behaving in any sort of unwanted way towards somebody.
Now in terms of relationships or sexual harassment, that would be sexually, um, so in terms of sexual harassment, that would be behaving in a sexual way without permission towards somebody, which includes comments about their appearance, for example.
It could be physical, so brushing past them in an inappropriate way, or groping them, or touching them when they don't want you to.
It can also happen online.
So it could be by social media, it could be on your mobile phones, for example.
And it can happen to anybody of any age, any gender, any sexual orientation.
And it's important to point out that it is not banter.
Now I hear this a lot.
It's just banter.
It's not.
Nobody deserves to have their personal boundaries crossed in any way, shape or form, and you shouldn't have to put up with it, and that's why the law is in place to prevent that from happening.
Dismissing it as banter is not okay.
And it's also not okay to make someone feel uncomfortable.
Now, in terms of abuse, next lesson, we're going to focus on a little bit more about domestic abuse and violence within relationships, but in the context of the law, it is a criminal offence in the UK.
And the law says that domestic violence or abuse can be anything that includes anything physical, psychological, sexual, emotional, financial, and we'll focus on this, like I said, in future lessons.
Now with regards to rape, according to the Sexual Offences Act of 2003, a man is committing an offence if he intentionally penetrates any orifice of a male or female with his penis when that person does not consent or does not have the capacity to consent.
So what I mean by the capacity is perhaps that person is under the influence of drugs or alcohol or has some sort of vulnerability that means that they can't give permission for that sexual activity to happen.
Now, you might be a bit confused by the well, you're talking about rape only being related to a man, actually, a man can only be convicted of rape because females don't have penises.
So if you are inserting anything into the orifices of a person without their permission, so a finger or something else, for example, you can be done for assault by penetration, but not by rape.
That can only be done by a man with a penis.
Sexual assault, however, you can still be done for on similar offences.
For example, if someone is asking you to take pictures, and you're being pressured into any sort of unwanted sexual activity that you don't consent to, you can still be tried for these offences, and they are all crimes.
It is never the victim's fault and you always need to remember to get consent, regardless of whether you're in a relationship together or you've had sex before, remembering the law around consent.
It is really important to make sure that you get consent every single time you engage in sexual activity.
I'd like you to pause here for a few seconds, just to reread through each of these descriptions, to fully ensure that you understand what the UK laws are relating to each of these areas.
So when it comes to harassment and abuse there are different types.
Now, harassment refers to any sort of unwanted, ongoing torment, and it can take many forms. Remember, it might take place online or offline, and it might be sexual in nature.
It might take place in school, or in your workplace, or even in a public place.
And victims should always seek support if they are made to feel uncomfortable, even if they're not sure whether a crime has been committed or not.
Abuse might be directed towards an adult or a child, and it can be physical, it can be emotional, sexual, and/or involve neglect.
Now remember, you should feel safe in all of your relationships, whether that's with family, or partners, or teachers, or friends, anybody, and you must always, always seek support if you feel unsafe.
In this next section, we're going to look at the potential consequences for both the victims and the perpetrators of each of these crimes.
So I'd like you to read through this slide and I'd like you to think about the potential consequences of rape, and choose which one of these options you think is false.
So did you get it correct? Pregnancy can be a consequence of rape, but in general, they're not wanted, they are unwanted pregnancies.
Unfortunately, they can also lead to sexually transmitted infections.
Quite often, there is physical damage or internal injuries involved, and it can also have an impact on mental health and lead to issues of depression and self-harm in the future.
So if we're thinking about the consequences for somebody who has pressured someone into having sex, getting into trouble with the police and getting a bad reputation, do we think that would be a consequence? Yes or no? I'm hoping you chose the true option.
If you are going to have sex, or you are doing anything sexual with someone without gaining their consent, then you are committing a crime.
And if you then go on to have a criminal conviction, it can seriously limit what you want to do in the future.
So if you were planning on moving abroad, or travelling abroad, or living abroad, or having certain jobs, that's going to be limited if you have a criminal record.
Now, both rape and sexual assault have the possibility of a prison sentence with the maximum punishment for rape being life in prison.
So it can also lead to you being put on the sexual offenders register, both of which are going to seriously limit your options for the future, shall we say.
And the social consequences, having a bad reputation and being labelled as an abuser or a rapist, can be really severe and long-lasting and very damaging in the future.
Now on this next slide, I'd like you to think about how being the victim of harassment, abuse, or rape might impact on a person's future.
I'd like you to read through and choose what you think are the correct answers.
So pause the video here and choose which ones you think are the correct answers.
Did you get them right? Some people think that controlling people in the case of harassment, or abuse, or rape, is just about violence and physical force, but it can be including emotional or verbal and then can escalate on to other areas, as well.
Now, all of these are serious.
They are never okay and they are never the victim's fault.
It can lead to people being isolated and feeling lonely and cut off from the world and not being able to access help or support.
It can impact on their self ego, give them feelings of shame, and they worry about what other people will think about them if they tell them what's going on.
You can have a negative impact on their health, both physical and mental, can lead to issues such as depression and anxiety.
And can also leave people feeling that it's their fault and it might lead to repeated behaviours in future relationships.
I'm hoping that you realised that the incorrect answers such as feeling respected and loved and gaining confidence from being harassed, or abused, or raped, or having a positive impact on someone's well-being are all incorrect.
Now, I'd now like you to think about why someone might, who was being abused, find it difficult to report the actual abuse.
So pause here, read through this slide, and choose which option you think is appropriate.
Did you get it correct? I'm hoping that you realise that some people find it difficult to report the abuse because they are worried about getting into trouble.
Now, that you should realise you are never going to get into trouble for reporting abuse, or even if you report something that you suspect is happening to somebody else, it can only be a helpful measure.
They might feel shocked or upset and confused about what has happened.
They might feel scared or frightened about reporting it.
And they also might feel a bit guilty or embarrassed.
Quite often, people that are being abused or are victims of harassment or rape often feel like they need to understand why the abuser is behaving that way and make excuses for them.
It is never okay and you should always try and seek help or support.
So in this section, we're going to look at what help and support is available to victims of harassment, abuse, and rape.
Now, when it comes to getting help and support there are very many options.
And I'd like you to pause your video here just to make a list and think of as many as you can think of.
So how does your list compare with mine? Well, we've spoken in the past about speaking to trusted adults, such as teachers or family members, or maybe your GP or the school nurse, or a police officer, or a youth worker, anyone that you feel that you can turn to that will have your back and support you.
You can also access and/or contact online agencies or charities for advice and support.
I found that The Home Office's Disrespect Nobody campaign has loads of really useful advice on all of these areas that we've been covering today.
You can access that online really easily.
What you shouldn't do is stand up and confront your abuser on your own.
It's likely to be dangerous and it's not going to have good consequences or outcomes.
If you or someone that you know is in immediate danger, you should call 999 as a matter of urgency, just to make sure that that support and help is available there.
Now, finally, I would like you to produce a peer support poster aimed at highlighting to young people how to recognise if they are victims of harassment or abuse, how they can report it, and how they can get help and support, and produce that in a peer support poster.
So the key learning points from this lesson are that it is against the law to harass, abuse, or rape anyone, and penalties will apply.
Harassment, abuse, and rape can impact on the lives of both the victim and the perpetrator.
And some people might find it difficult to report and get help and support, but getting appropriate help and support is vital in minimising the longterm effects and consequences.
So, as I've said before, it is so important that if you need further information or support, you know where to turn to and you get that extra guidance.
You can contact the police, any of the health services or your doctors, for example, any social care, there's Childline on 08001111 if you need to access them specifically.
There's the NSPCC, there's Rape Crisis England and Wales.
There's the National Domestic Abuse Helpline for women and girls more specifically, and the National Male Survivor Helpline.
There's also the LGBT+ Domestic Abuse Helpline for anyone within that community.
And of course, as we've said before, there's your trusted adults, so a teacher, school nurse, policemen, doctor, anyone that you trust in your circle to get help and support.
Please remember how important that is.
Don't keep it to yourself.
Always get help.
Now, finally, I would like you to complete your exit quiz to check your understanding of the content of this lesson.
Well done on completing the second lesson in this unit, and I will look forward to seeing you again for the third lesson.
Bye for now.