A national movement has been created following the death of Sarah Everard, bringing together women of all ages and backgrounds, to shine a spotlight on the ongoing issue of men’s violence against women.

The subsequent protests have sparked much discussion in mainstream and social media, with the recurring question being, “where does the violence come from and how do we stop it?” What is the source of this anger and how do we teach our boys and young men to respect all women and consider their behaviours towards them?

To create a significant and lasting culture change, education is key and needs to start from a young age. This is a societal problem and the only way it can be addressed is through understanding the contributory factors and implementing an early intervention strategy to combat them.

Red Harbour’s virtual event, the latest in our series tackling some of the biggest issues facing children and young people in Scotland, will bring together a panel of experts and practitioners to explore this complex but crucial issue. The first in the series on this subject will be focussing on early intervention in the school years.

Speakers to date:

• Graham Goulden, Director, Cultivating Minds UK

• Dr Martin Robb, Senior Lecturer, Faculty of Wellbeing, Education and Language Studies and Academic Lead, MA in Childhood and Youth, The Open University

• Dr Kirsten Russell, Research Analyst, Scottish Violence Reduction Unit

• Susie Heywood, Co-Founder, Gender Friendly Scotland

Speaker biographies

Agenda

Issues to be addressed include:

• The need and importance of education and early intervention

• Helping boys to overcome negative peer influence

• Changing the dialogue used with boys

• Developing a caring, nurturing and supportive environment for boys

• Age appropriate resources available to assist Practitioners

• Gender equality education

• International evidence