Hi everyone
here's the press release and report on sexualisation of young people.


STRICTLY EMBARGOED:NOT FOR PUBLICATION OR BROADCAST UNIL 00.01 ON FRIDAY
26 FEBRUARY



REVIEW INTO SEXUALISATION OF YOUNG PEOPLE PUBLISHED

An independent review into the sexualisation of young people, conducted by
psychologist Dr Linda Papadopoulos, was welcomed by Home Secretary Alan
Johnson today.



Commissioned by the Home Office, the review forms part of the government's
strategy to tackle 'Violence Against Women and Girls' (VAWG) and looks at
how sexualised images and messages may be affecting the development of
children and young people and influencing cultural norms. It also examines
the evidence for a link between sexualisation and violence.



Key recommendations include:

*	the government to launch an online 'one-stop-shop' to allow the public
to voice their concerns regarding irresponsible marketing which sexualises
children, with an onus on regulatory authorities to take action. The
website could help inform future government policy by giving parents a
forum to raise issues of concern regarding the sexualisation of young
people;
*	the government should support the Advertising Standards Agency (ASA) to
take steps to extend the existing regulatory standards to include
commercial websites;
*	broadcasters are required to ensure that music videos featuring sexual
posing or sexually suggestive lyrics are broadcast only after the
'watershed';
*	the government to support the NSPCC in its work with manufacturers and
retailers to encourage corporate responsibility with regard to sexualised
merchandise. Guidelines should be issued for retailers following
consultation with major clothing retailers and parents' groups; and

*         games consoles should be sold with parental controls already
switched on. Purchasers can choose to 'unlock' the console if they wish to
allow access to adult and online content.

Dr Papadopoulos has worked closely with the Home Office in developing the
current national awareness campaign targeting violence within teenagers'
relationships. A pack for teachers and pupils to accompany the campaign
will shortly be made available to all schools. The government is also
committed to introducing the subject of violence against women and girls
and gender equality into the national curriculum, both of which are
recommendations outlined in this review. The full list of recommendations
will now be considered in more detail.

Home Secretary Alan Johnson said:

"We know that parents are concerned about the pressures their children are
under at a much younger age, which is why we have already committed to a
number of the recommendations in this report.



"Changing attitudes will take time but it is essential if we are going to
stop the sexualisation which contributes to violence against women and
girls.



"I would like to thank Dr Linda Papadopoulos for producing this review,
with recommendations which will contribute to the ongoing debate around
this complex issue.



"We will now consider the full list of recommendations in more detail and
continue to ensure that young people's development and well-being are a
top priority."



Psychologist Dr Linda Papadopoulos said:



"As a psychologist and as a parent, I welcomed the opportunity to take a
critical look at the sexualisation of young people.



"Over the past few months I have spoken to many people including young
people, parents, teachers and professionals and it is clear to me that
this is a very emotive issue.



"I wanted to ensure that this was not an opinion piece, but a review based
on real data and academic research which will help generate further debate
and inform decisions about how to address these issues going forward."



Children's Minister Delyth Morgan said:



"Children today are growing up in a complex and changing world and they
need to learn how to stay safe and resist inappropriate pressures. That is
why we are making Personal, Social, Health and Economic (PSHE) education
statutory so that we can teach children about the real life issues they
will face as they grow up.



"PSHE already includes teaching about advertising and body image and from
2011 will include issues around violence against women and girls. The PSHE
curriculum is age appropriate to give children and young people the right
information at the right time to help them make the best choices and to
develop their confidence.



"We are supporting schools with new guidance to help raise awareness among
teachers about violence against women and girls, so that they can prevent
and respond to these issues, and to show them how to address it in the
curriculum.



"We have also recently launched a new campaign Click Clever Click Safe to
help children and young people understand some of the risks they are
exposed to when they go online. This will give parents the confidence to
help their children enjoy the internet safely."



NOTES TO EDITORS



1.	The review will be available from 0001 on Friday 26 February at: 
http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/. For an embargoed PDF copy please call the
Home Office newsdesk on 020  7035 3535.
2.	The 'Together We Can End Violence Against Women and Girls' strategy can
be found at: 
http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/documents/vawg-strategy-2009/index.html. The
strategy is a coordinated approach to combat all forms of violence against
women and girls and support its victims. It sets out actions for
stakeholders including police, local authorities and government
departments across three key areas: Prevention, Provision and Protection.
Key actions include:



*        more than £13 million of funding to help support victims of
sexual and domestic violence;

*        development of a national communications strategy designed to
address attitudes towards VAWG among all members of the public;

*        increased investment delivering a four-fold increase in Family
Intervention Projects to support 10,000 families a year;

*        the Training and Development Agency for Schools will address
violence against women in the review of professional standards for
teachers in 2010, to help ensure teachers have the skills they need to
tackle violence against women and girls;

*        development of a dedicated stalking and harassment helpline so
emerging violence can be nipped in the bud;

*        development of a series of short films on violence against women
and girls for patients on the NHS Choices website to supplement existing
material on recognising domestic violence and seeking support;

*        a new online directory of services for victims of violence
against women and funding for new 24-hour sexual violence helpline;

*        the piloting of Domestic Violence Protection Orders - or 'Go'
orders - to exclude perpetrators from their homes and give victims space
to apply for longer-term protection; and

*        a Health Taskforce examining the role of the NHS in response to
victims of violence against women and girls will publish recommendations
in March 2010



3.	Dr Linda Papadopoulos is a well-known psychologist and media expert in
the field of women and girls' self-image. Her academic credentials include
a PhD in psychology (City University), an MSc in Health Psychology
(University of Surrey) and she has been a reader in psychology since 2001.
Dr Papadopoulos is also a practising clinician who has worked in various
treatment settings both privately and in the National Health Service.



Her clinical interests focus on body image and self-esteem, eating
disorders and facial disfigurement. The intention of the review is to
contribute to a wider debate with the public about the risk to children's
developmental well-being, and the risk posed by others to children,
through the sexualisation process.

4.	To arrange an interview with Dr Linda Papadopoulos please contact:
Lizzie Barroll-Brown on 020 7436 6400.







Stephen Hadley

Office Manager,

Press Office,

Home Office,

2,Marsham Street,

London SW1P 4DF

020 7035 3864

Newsdesk (media only): 020 7035 3535 | press.homeoffice.gov.uk





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Social Psychologist,
Lecturer in International Health Services Research

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