6,000 children learn to identify and intervene in violence against women and girls thanks to educational play

More than 6,000 school children have learned the importance of safely speaking up about violence against women and girls, thanks to an innovative project by Dyfed-Powys Police.

Step In, Speak Up is a bilingual educational performance visiting schools across the force area to help children understand what constitutes sexual harassment, violence, and discrimination in an age-appropriate way, and how to act as upstanders for victims.

To date, more than 6,000 Key Stage four and five pupils at 28 schools have taken part in phase one of the project, during which they watched a play and took part in a workshop to discuss the themes presented. Teachers were then given access to further materials for follow-up lessons.

Dyfed-Powys Police’s Prevention lead Superintendent Chris Neve said: “Dyfed-Powys Police is committed to tackling violence against women and girls, which unfortunately is still prevalent in our communities.

“While some might consider this to be a difficult topic to discuss with young people, we need to ensure our children are aware of what sort of behaviours are appropriate and what needs to be called out.

“With this in mind, we contracted Performance in Education to deliver the Step In, Speak Up play and workshops at schools across the force area with the aim of raising awareness of when and how to intervene safely if they witness problematic behaviour among friends and peers.

“By speaking to teenagers about these topics in a safe and familiar environment we can empower them to take action, and act as upstanders if they or their friends find themselves in an uncomfortable situation which could escalate into something more dangerous.”

Mock incidents and content relatable to the children’s ages (14 – 16) were praised by teachers, while overwhelmingly positive results showed children were taking away key information.

Questionnaires completed before and after sessions revealed nearly twice as many children understood the meaning of sexual violence against women and girls after the sessions, while 83 per cent of pupils said they left feeling confident they would be able to safely intervene if they witnessed an incident.

Police and Crime Commissioner Dafydd Llywelyn added: “The results to date have shown a significant increase in awareness and confidence of our young people who now feel that they could spot the signs of sexual harassment, violence or discrimination and would report an incident if they witnessed it.

“The programme teaches them safe techniques and five ways of intervening, through relatable characters in realistic scenarios.

“We look forward to delivering more of these sessions over the coming months.”

The Dyfed Powys Police Upstander Programme is jointly funded by the Home Office Safer Streets 5 fund that focusses on attitudinal and behaviour changes to improve understanding and confidence aimed at supporting our commitment to end violence against women and girls and to create safe spaces in our communities.

Other initiatives currently being delivered include vulnerability and awareness training in universities and colleges aimed at students aged between 16 and 23, as well as staff in further education; Man Ally training for police offices, police staff and partners; and a community wide communications campaign focussing on unacceptable behaviour and raising awareness of sexual harassment in public spaces.