Violence Against Women and Girls (VAWG) is both a significant public health issue and a violation of human rights. It encompasses a range of behaviours including domestic abuse, sexual violence, coercive control, stalking, online abuse, sexual harassment, exploitation, and harmful gender-based attitudes and behaviours. Evidence demonstrates that gender-based violence can have profound impacts on children and young people’s health, wellbeing, attainment, attendance, relationships, and future life chances.
Schools have a critical role in creating safe, inclusive environments where children and young people learn about equality, respect, healthy relationships, consent, and human rights. Educational settings are also well placed to identify concerns early, respond appropriately to disclosures, and work alongside families and partner agencies to promote safety and wellbeing.
National Policy and Guidance
Scotland’s national approach is set out through Equally Safe: Scotland’s Strategy for Preventing and Eradicating Violence Against Women and Girls, developed by the Scottish Government and COSLA. The refreshed strategy highlights the need to:
- Achieve greater gender equality.
- Intervene early and effectively to prevent violence.
- Maximise the safety and wellbeing of women, children and young people.
- Challenge and address the behaviours of perpetrators.
The strategy recognises that violence against women and girls is rooted in gender inequality and that prevention requires action across all sectors, including education. Schools are therefore expected to contribute to the development of respectful relationships, challenge harmful stereotypes, and promote equality and inclusion.
This work aligns closely with:
- Curriculum for Excellence – Health and Wellbeing
- Getting it Right for Every Child (GIRFEC)
- UN Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC)
- Included, Engaged and Involved
- Relationships, Sexual Health and Parenthood (RSHP) Education
- Scottish Government commitments on children’s rights, equality and safeguarding.
A Whole-School Approach: Equally Safe at School (ESAS)
Equally Safe at School (ESAS) is a national framework designed to support schools to take a whole-school approach to preventing and responding to gender-based violence.
Developed through collaboration between Rape Crisis Scotland and the University of Glasgow, ESAS supports secondary schools to create positive, inclusive school cultures where gender-based violence is actively challenged and where staff and pupils feel confident responding to incidents and disclosures of sexual harassment and violence.
The framework helps schools:
- Promote gender equality and mutual respect.
- Develop consistent approaches to preventing gender-based violence.
- Strengthen staff knowledge, confidence and response.
- Improve support pathways for children and young people.
- Embed pupil voice in policy and practice.
- Review curriculum, policies and school culture through a gender and equality lens.
For schools in Dumfries and Galloway, ESAS provides a valuable structure for self-evaluation and improvement planning, helping to ensure that gender equality and safety are embedded across the curriculum, pastoral care systems, safeguarding arrangements and wider school ethos.
Key Principles of ESAS
Schools implementing ESAS focus on:
- Leadership and culture.
- Curriculum and learning.
- Staff learning and professional development.
- Young people’s participation and voice.
- Policies, procedures and reporting mechanisms.
- Partnerships with families and community services.
Find out more:
Equally Safe at School
Mentors in Violence Prevention (MVP)
Mentors in Violence Prevention (MVP) is a preventative educational programme used across many Scottish secondary schools. MVP moves beyond the idea that violence is solely a women’s issue and instead empowers young people, particularly boys and young men, to become active, responsible bystanders who challenge harmful attitudes and behaviours.
The programme encourages young people to:
- Recognise abusive, controlling or harmful behaviour.
- Challenge sexism, misogyny and discrimination.
- Take safe action when they witness concerning situations.
- Develop leadership skills and promote positive relationships.
- Understand the role everyone can play in preventing violence.
MVP uses peer-led learning, with older pupils supporting younger pupils to explore issues such as:
- Gender stereotypes.
- Consent and healthy relationships.
- Sexual harassment.
- Online behaviours.
- Bullying and coercive control.
- Bystander intervention.
For schools, MVP can be a powerful component of a wider whole-school approach, reinforcing the messages promoted through RSHP education, anti-bullying work, equalities programmes and safeguarding practices.
Creating Safe Schools for All
Every member of the school community has a role in creating environments where children and young people feel safe, valued and respected. Effective prevention relies on:
- Strong relationships and trusted adults.
- Clear safeguarding and child protection procedures.
- Inclusive and respectful school cultures.
- High-quality RSHP education.
- Challenging gender stereotypes and discrimination.
- Promoting equality, diversity and human rights.
- Meaningful participation of children and young people in shaping school policy and practice.
Schools should ensure that staff understand local safeguarding pathways and know how to respond appropriately when concerns, disclosures or incidents relating to gender-based violence arise.
Support and Further Resources
National Resources
- Equally Safe Strategy
- Equally Safe at School
- Home – RSHP
- Rape Crisis Scotland | Working to end sexual violence
- Scottish Women’s Aid |
- respectme | Scotland’s anti-bullying service
- A summary of Relationships, Sexual Health and Parenthood (RSHP) resources | Resources | Education Scotland
- Podcast: How should we talk about strangulation with young people?
Local Support
Schools in Dumfries and Galloway should also engage with local safeguarding, education and public protection partners, including local violence against women and girls initiatives and specialist support services, to ensure young people can access timely and appropriate support when needed.
Dumfries and Galloway Violence Against Women and Girls biennial report 2022 to 2024.pdf
Domestic abuse | Dumfries and Galloway Council
Reflection for Practitioners
How confident is your school in recognising, preventing and responding to gender-based violence? What opportunities exist to strengthen pupil voice, challenge harmful attitudes, and embed equality and respect across your whole-school community?
