In February 2023, Welsh Government commissioned Miller Research to undertake a small piece of research to inform future campaign activities aimed at tackling Peer-on-Peer sexual harassment in schools. 

Our research was conducted in 2023 and began with a desk-based review of secondary literature as well as scoping interviews. This initial review made it clear that existing evidence was either out-of-date or not directly transferable to the Welsh context. This led to our team collective primary data through interviews with a range of organisations to discuss:
 

• Lessons learned from developing previous campaigns in this space – e.g.: appropriate narratives and tone. 

• Thoughts/recommendations on prioritization/targeting of a prospective campaign 

• Limitations, challenges and opportunities for a campaign 

• Complementarity with other initiatives in this space 

• Existing training and support for professionals. 

The research findings set out a series of conclusions and recommendations about the future of campaign activities including that:  

• The current anti-bullying policies in place within the majority of schools are simply unfit for the context and complexity of addressing sexual harassment 

• Young people don’t tell adults about the sexual harassment they experience or witness, because they don’t believe it will be taken seriously  

• The normalisation/casualisation of sexual harassment in schools has significant impacts on the aspirations of girls 

• Young people understand the prevalence and seriousness of peer-on-peer sexual harassment, as such they are less interested in awareness raising campaigns and more interested in campaigns that support adults to intervene and respond appropriately  

• Where effective, awareness raising campaigns are more successful when led at the grassroots level (e.g. led by other young people)
   

To learn more about this research, please contact jessica@miller-research.co.uk