Tracey Martin MP
Spokesperson for Education
and Women
31 MAY 2017

Better Education to Protect Teens From Sexual Violence

New Zealand First is renewing its call for all Year 10 students to learn about healthy and safe relationships at school, following new research showing high rates of sexual abuse in teen relationships.

“There are amazing programmes available to schools but underfunding means only the most at-risk students get to participate – but these programmes should be available to all students,” says Spokesperson for Education and Women Tracey Martin.

“New research showing high rates of sexual abuse in teen relationships is alarming. According to the New Zealand Family Violence Clearinghouse, 20 per cent of female and 10 per cent of male secondary school students have experienced sexual violence.

“We need to empower young people to say ‘no’ and understand what ‘no’ means.

“New Zealand First has a plan to fund programmes that promote healthy and safe relationships, such as family violence prevention and intervention initiatives.

“We would provide $5 million in the first instance to support family violence networks across the country, almost double what the government provided for the Family Violence Response Coordination in the 2016/17 Budget.

“This will be part of the Health Curriculum for Year 10 students.

“No one can predict who will become a victim of sexual abuse, so young people need to be armed with the knowledge they need to be safe,” says Mrs Martin.

ENDS

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