Westminster Hall debate on healthy relationships

MPs Maya Ellis, Leigh Ingham, and Munira Wilson extolled the benefits of specialist relationship education.

We were delighted to see a number of MPs attend the Westminster Hall debate on government support for healthy relationships on Thursday (12 February).

Among those who expressed support for the healthy relationships education initiative were MPs Maya Ellis, Leigh Ingham, and Munira Wilson.

The government late last year unveiled its national strategy to tackle violence against women and girls (VAWG), which included a £20 million investment in teacher training and preventative measures. We welcomed the commitment to tackling misogynistic attitudes at an early age, and are hopeful on plans to expand healthy relationship education across primary and secondary schools.

We’re grateful to MP Maya Ellis for leading today’s debate and acknowledging that encouraging healthier attitudes towards women and girls is one of our toughest hills to climb. Ellis reiterated her support for the new government initiative and advocated for sharing the “mental load” women carry for childcare and child education equally among parents.

We were delighted to hear MP Leigh Ingham express support for expanding age-appropriate relationship and sex education (RSE) in schools, and advocate for a whole-school approach to tackling gender-based violence, woven into the culture of schools through education. Ingham mentioned that schools in her constituency rolling out advanced RSE had seen a reduction in repeated conflict over time, and overall, healthier attitudes towards women and girls — something we know to be true from our own healthy education pilots in schools across Greater Manchester.

We’re also grateful to MP Munira Wilson for reaffirming that healthy relationships are the foundation of our society, and for noting the prevalence of misogynistic online content that exploits the insecurities of men and boys, distorting what young people think sex and relationships should look like. We back her call for RSE to be taught by specialists who hold the knowledge to ensure lessons are delivered effectively.

"It's crucial that we see UK schools adopt a whole-school approach when it comes to gender-based violence because learning about healthy relationships doesn't stop in the classroom. It's estimated that two thirds of young men engage with content that promotes harmful narratives about relationships and gender roles. We hope that the new education plan will include detailed guidance on sexual consent, explicit imagery online, navigating social media, and LGBTQIA+ sex and relationships."
Michelle Hill, Talk, Listen, Change CEO

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