Children should be educated about hate crimes

Children’s charity Barnardo’s

Barnardo’s is calling for an end to homophobic, bi-phobic and transphobic bullying and highlighting the need to educate all children and adults about hate crime.

As the UK’s largest children’s charity, Barnardo’s is urging the Government to listen to feedback from their latest relationship and sex education consultation. The current guidance refers to different types of relationships but Barnardo’s research has shown there needs to be explicit reference to LGBTQ relationships in secondary school lessons and same sex relationships in primary school lessons.

Bullying at school, including homophobic, bi-phobic and transphobic bullying, can be hugely harmful to young people’s wellbeing and mental health.

It’s absolutely vital that we tackle bullying behaviour early, before it becomes a hate crime. That’s why Barnardo’s is calling on the Government to make sure all children learn about LGBTQ relationships as part of the Relationship and Sex Education curriculum.

Lessons should also cover bullying and hate crime, encouraging young people to understand their rights and responsibilities, and the role they can play in promoting equality and respect for all.

Barnardo’s has free lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, questioning (LGBTQ) resources available online to teachers and other professionals working with children, to help them better educate children about same sex relationships and gender and sexual identities.

The free animations and classroom activities, which are age appropriate and aimed at primary and secondary schools, sit alongside Barnardo’s existing Real Love Rocks resources, which teach children and young people about healthy relationships, consent and grooming.

To download the free LGBTQ resources or find out more about Barnardo’s Real Love Rocks education materials, please visit​​​​:

• www.barnardosrealloverocks.org.uk/dashboard/