How can we help people to embrace and take part in the 'everyday prevention' of sexual harm?

Speaker(s):

Rhys Turner-Moore, Leeds Beckett University

Abstract:

People tend to see sexual harm - such as sexual violence and sexual abuse - as something that is inevitable and unpreventable. However, I believe that there are small everyday steps that we can all take to create a world free from sexual harm. For example, maybe we read or share something on how to develop consent and care in our sexual relationships. Maybe we express support at our child’s school for Relationships and Sex Education. Or maybe there’s everyday conversations with family, friends or neighbours that provide an opening — maybe something in the news or something in their day — where there’s an opportunity to listen, share a helpful resource or offer a way of seeing the situation that dispels myths about sexual violence and abuse. I call this 'everyday prevention'. In this session, we will consider two ideas around how to help people embrace the concept of 'everyday prevention' and two ideas around how to help people to actually do 'everyday prevention'. Each idea will be explored in a breakout group and you will be invited to choose two breakout groups to join. In the breakout groups, you will have an opportunity to co-design solutions and research projects for that particular idea, and record these as text, images and hyperlinks on a digital bulletin board. Creative and participatory suggestions are particularly welcomed and encouraged. We will then reconvene altogether and look at each digital bulletin board to consider how each idea could be progressed to research and action.