80+ expert organisations call on government to act on sexual violence in schools

Today (5th October 2026), 80+ organisations working across the violence against women and girls (VAWG) and education sectors have written to the Prime Minister calling for urgent action to prevent sexual violence in schools and fulfil the government’s manifesto commitment to halve VAWG.

The letter follows new data published in the Guardian this weekend highlighting the devastating scale of sexual violence against children and young people in schools.

Shocking scale of sexual violence in schools

Between 2021 and 2025, police recorded more than 8,060 sexual offences involving victims under 13 in England and Wales – equivalent to 4.4 offences every day. A further 2,300 sexual offences against children aged 13–16 were recorded over the same period.

The data also shows close to 1,900 reports of rape offences, including attempted rape. More than a third of victims were under 13 and three quarters were female. There were also at least 5,800 offences involving the possession, taking, making or distribution of indecent images of children under 18.

These figures are devastating. But they are only the tip of the iceberg, given that most sexual violence goes unreported. For far too many children, particularly girls, their childhoods are being shaped by abuse in places where they should be safe.

Sexual violence can have devastating and long-lasting impacts on survivors, affecting their physical and mental wellbeing, as well as attendance, educational attainment and outcomes.

Sexual violence is preventable, not inevitable, and we cannot wait until the very worst harms have occurred before taking action.

Repeated warnings have gone unheard

The publication of this data comes after years of warnings about sexual harassment and abuse among children and young people. From the Everyone’s Invited testimonies in 2020, to Women and Equalities Committee reports and the subsequent Ofsted review, there have been repeated calls for meaningful action. The horrific rapes of girls in Fordingbridge earlier this year were another stark reminder of the consequences of failing to prevent VAWG among young people.

The government’s VAWG Strategy contains welcome commitments to prevention, including recognising the importance of a Whole-School Approach and support for Relationships, Sex and Health Education (RSHE). However, these commitments must be backed by the urgency, resources and action needed to make meaningful change.

Schools are a critical site for preventing VAWG. A Whole-School Approach can help create cultures where gender inequality and harmful attitudes are challenged, children understand healthy relationships and consent, and staff are equipped to recognise and respond to abuse.

Last week, we wrote to the Secretary of State for Education, sharing our Whole-School Approach briefing and detailed recommendations for change. We are calling on the government to turn its commitments into action, working with the specialist VAWG and education sectors to deliver a properly resourced Whole-School Approach.

Children and young people deserve to grow up and access education free from violence and abuse. The government must act now to make this a reality.

ENDS

List of signatories:

1. Janaya Walker, Interim Director, End Violence Against Women Coalition
2. Ciara Bergman, CEO, Rape Crisis England & Wales
3. Farah Nazeer, Chief Executive, Women’s Aid
4. Gemma Sherrington, CEO, Refuge
5. Daniel Kebede, GS, National Education Union (NEU)
6. Ghadah Alnasseri, CEO, Imkaan
7. Soma Sara, CEO and Founder, Everyone’s Invited
8. Susie McDonald, CEO, Tender
9. Nina Humphries, Director, UK Feminista
10. Harriet Wistrich, founder and CEO, Centre for Women’s Justice
11. Naana Otoo- Oyortey, Executive Director, FORWARD
12. Estelle du Boulay, Director, Rights of Women
13. Alice Piller-Roner, CEO, Woman’s Trust
14. Issy Warren, Director of Programmes, Our Streets Now
15. Rachel Adamson, Co-Director, Zero Tolerance
16. Faustine Petron-Daniels, Founder, Make It Mandatory
17. Deirdre Kehoe, CEO, Let Me Know (LMK)
18. Professor Aisha K. Gill, Criminologist, University of Bristol
19. Donna Hill, Head of Coram SCARF
20. Natalie Collins, Own My Life
21. Vivienne Hayes, CEO, Women’s Resource Centre
22. Carey Philpott, CEO, SATEDA
23. Medina Johnson, Chief Executive, IRISi
24. Baljit Banga, CEO, Hibiscus
25. Louisa Matthews, CEO, Nottingham Women’s Centre
26. Joy Doal, CEO, Anawim – Birmingham’s Centre for Women
27. Paula Clarke, CEO, Juno Women’s Aid
28. Sawsan Salim, Kurdish and Middle Eastern Women’s Organisation
29. Jackie May, CEO, The Women’s Centre Cornwall
30. Jo Choi, CEO, Standing Together Against Domestic Abuse
31. Halaleh Taheri, CEO, Middle Eastern Women and Society Organisation-MEWSO
32. Maureen Connolly, CEO, Birmingham and Solihull Women’s Aid
33. Laura Seebohm, CEO, WWIN Specialist Domestic Abuse Services in Sunderland
34. Lucy Warnes, CEO, Deaf Health Charity SignHealth
35. Zlakha Ahmed CEO, Apna Haq, Rotherham.
36. Bernie Ryan,CEO, Institute for Addressing Strangulation
37. Jessica Ringrose, Professor, UCL
38. Clémence Mahéo, Founder and co-director, togetHER against sexism
39. Hannah Parry, Chair, Action Breaks Silence
40. Sarbjit Ganger, Director Asian Women’s Resource Centre (AWRC)
41. Annie A Gibbs, Amour Destiné
42. Sonia Jalal, Hull Sisters
43. Dr Emily Setty, Associate Professor in Criminology, University of Surrey
44. Girijamba Polubothu, CEO, Shakti Women’s Aid
45. Liz Mack, CEO, Advance
46. Gisela Valle, Director, Latin American Women’s Rights Service (LAWRS)
47. Disha Sughand & Diana Njuguna, Co-CEOs, Womankind Worldwide
48. Diana Nammi , CEO, IKWRO
49. Emma Slinn, UsToo ARC ENGLAND (Association for Real Change)
50. Lee Eggleston CEO SERICC (Rape and Sexual Abuse Specialist Service)
51. Jennifer McDermott  CEO of the Cassandra Centre, Domestic and sexual abuse charity
52. Natasha Eeles, CEO & Founder, Bold Voices
53. Dr Abby Gilsenan, Department of Education, University of York
54. Sara Kirkpatrick, in solidarity,  Welsh Women’s Aid
55. Professor Fiona Vera-Gray, Co-Director, Child and Woman Abuse Studies Unit (CWASU) at London Metropolitan University
56. Bekah Legg, CEO Restored
57. Naomi Smith, CEO, Her Centre
58. Amtal Rana, CEO, Kiran Support Services
59. Angie Airlie, CEO, Stay Safe East
60. Samsunear Ali, CEO, Bawso
61. Dr Jenny Lloyd, Global Centre for Contextual Safeguarding
62. Sarah Hill, CEO, IDAS
63. Sam Clifford, CEO, Jewish Women’s Aid
64. Tina Pearmine, The DAY Programme
65. Sally Jackson, Director for ending MVAWG, FiLiA
66. Alev Taylor, CEO, Rape Crisis Scotland
67. Helen Marshall, Chief Executive, Brook
68. Rose Caldwell, CEO, Plan International UK
69. Lucy Emmerson, Chief Executive, Sex Education Forum
70. Daniel Guinness, Managing Director, Beyond Equality
71. Debi Steven, CEO, Action Breaks Silence
72. Jo Todd CBE, CEO, Respect
73. Daniela Londoño, Policy Coordinator, Latin American Women’s Aid (LAWA)
74. Professor Vanita Sundaram, Department of Education, University of York
75. Nahar Choudhury, CEO, Solace
76. David Wright CBE, CEO, SWGfL
77. Felicity Oswald OBE, CEO, Girlguiding UK
78. Tracey Bleakley, Interim CEO, SafeLives
79. Dolly Padalia, CEO, School of Sexuality Education
80. Kyla Kirkpatrick, Director, The Drive Partnership
81. Debbie Brazil, CEO, End Sexism in Schools
82. Joy Doal, Anawim Birmingham Centre for women
83. Jael de la Luz, The CouRAGEus Project, Women and Girls Network
84. Mollin Delve,CEO, PHOEBE Centre
85. Sawsan Salim, Director, Kurdish andMiddle Eastern Women’s Organisation.
86. Yasmin Rehman, CEO, Lucy Faithful Foundations
87. Amy Forbes-Robertson, Director, It Happens Education
88. Matilda Lawrence-Jubb, Development Director, Split Banana Education C.I.C.