Thornhill girls told MLA of importance of including danger of drink spiking in RSE in schools
Young women from Thornhill College spoke of the importance of including the dangers of drink spiking as part of Relationships and Sexuality Education (RSE) in schools during a meeting with East Derry MLA Cara Hunter.
Ms. Hunter told MLAs about the feedback and advice she received from girls at the Derry secondary school during a debate on RSE at Stormont on Tuesday.
“I spoke with young ladies at Thornhill College in Derry, and they had talked through the importance of including things such as the dangers of spiking in our RSE curriculum.
"They said that they do not feel ready for the world, and they think that RSE can be one answer in preparing them for real-life situations and preparing them to go out into the world and feeling most confident when establishing and maintaining relationships,” she said.
The SDLP MLA raised the meeting as she tabled a motion calling for the establishment of a task force to enhance ‘RSE to include healthy relationships and ways to prevent violence against women and girls’.
“Consent is not just a box to tick; it is the cornerstone of healthy relationships. Without a clear understanding of consent, young people are left vulnerable to coercion, abuse and harm.
"That is particularly urgent when we consider the rise of online abuse, image-based sexual violence and the normalisation of harmful gender stereotypes in digital spaces. It is also really important that we talk about things such as rape myths in RSE and ensure that they are part of the conversation,” said Ms. Hunter.