The Women and Equalities Committee have announced the first ever parliamentary enquiry into the scale and impact of sexual harassment and sexual violence in schools. The enquiry follows concerning new research into the problem which found that schools are not doing enough to recognise and address the problem.

The Committee gathered together the views of 300 young people from across the UK to begin the investigation. The results not only found that schools had not recognised the pressures faced by young people around sexual harassment and sexual bullying, but also that teachers may brush aside incidents due to the young ages of those involved, while many incidents may be going unreported since victims fear they may be punished too.

One respondent revealed how sexual harassment of girls by boys has been passed off as “banter,” while another declared that schools must “be seen to be doing something,” adding, “keeping the school’s reputation in check and deciding what to do is a tricky business,” noting, “Schools are not equipped to deal with emotional analysis.”

But, just how big is the problem?

Recent data shows that there is a real problem in UK schools as a 2010 YouGov poll revealed that 29% of 16-18-year-old girls had experienced unwanted sexual touching at school. With figures like this, it is unsurprising to find a 2015 survey revealed 75% of girls felt anxious about the chances of experiencing sexual harassment, and 90% of 13-21 year-olds felt that the government should do more to make sure all schools address the situation of sexual harassment and bullying.

Maria Miller, the Chair of the Women and Equalities Committee, said, “It’s clear from the young people we’ve heard from that sexual harassment and sexual violence in schools is having a profound impact on their day to day lives. We need to address this issue now, and stop it from blighting the lives of another generation of young people – both male and female.”

She continued, “We’re asking teachers, students, parents, youth organisations and anyone else with an interest in this subject to share their knowledge and experience with us. We’ll use this evidence to find the most effective measures to reduce levels of sexual harassment and sexual violence in schools.”

The inquiry will seek to determine the level of the sexual harassment in primary and secondary schools and to see if this is on the rise. There will also be a study of what schools are doing to monitor and record incidents.

In addition to this, the inquiry will investigate who the victims and who the perpetrators of this type of harassment are, and how often teachers are subjected to sexual harassment or sexual violence while at work. The inquiry will also seek to find out the impact that sexual harassment in school has on girls, boys, and teachers, and what can be done to tackle the problem.

With early evidence suggesting that sexting, online bullying and the normalisation of pornography have become issues for students, there will be an investigation of these specific areas and what can be done to offer better support to students around these issues.

The inquiry will take evidence until 22nd May.