Teenage girls send campaign video to PM on school misogyny
A group of teenage girls sent a campaign video to the Prime Minister highlighting extreme misogyny in schools, calling for action.
The Full Story
A plain summary built from the channels that reported this story.
A group of teenage girls from Tyneside have sent a campaign video to the Prime Minister, calling for urgent action against what they describe as extreme misogyny in schools. The film, which the girls made themselves, documents the derogatory names, threats of violence, and sexual harassment they say they face regularly from fellow pupils both in the classroom and online.
The video includes accounts of a 'rape list' drawn up by boys at their school, ranking girls in order of who they would most and least like to rape. One girl said the list made her feel 'worthless'. Another said: 'It's not normal to think about raping a girl.' The girls spoke anonymously to the BBC, saying they are tired of dealing with shocking misogyny in their everyday lives.
Domestic abuse charities have warned that when such extreme views become normalised, they can leak into early relationships. One charity worker said: 'Sadly, we're getting young women who are now recognising that they have been abused in their first intimate relationships, sometimes when they're 13, 14 years old and we're almost having 13-year-old girls being raped by 13-year-old boys.'
The government has said it is taking 'bold and decisive action' to tackle violence against women and girls. From September, secondary school pupils in England will be taught how to recognise misogyny as part of the curriculum. The new guidance will also cover sexist and misogynistic influencers on social media platforms, something the girls said is needed.
One of the girls said: 'Now that we're coming into being young women, I think it's very pressurised on how you look. Then when there's big influencers, for being like, oh, well, yeah, don't let your woman do this, don't let your wife do this, you've got to be the dominant one.'
The film was produced with the help of a specialist teacher, Sue Davison, who runs a therapeutic teaching service. She said the girls had researched misogyny, the law and feminism, and had even put together a programme they felt their school should follow. Dr Alex Blower, a researcher and founder of the Boys Impact network, said the rise of misogynistic online content was a symptom of a wider societal challenge, and that boys lacked a positive narrative about manhood in a changing world.
The girls have sent their film to the Prime Minister in the hope that he will share it with schools across the country. They want their voices to challenge dangerous attitudes and ensure that other girls do not have to face the same experiences.
On screen
Stills are sampled automatically at 60-second intervals. Where shown, the still is the nearest available frame from the relevant broadcast segment and is included to show what was on screen during that part of the broadcast. A still may not correspond to the exact second of a quoted phrase.
Key Claims
Claims reported during this story's coverage, mapped by channel. Ordered by how many channels carried each claim.
| Claim | BBC News | BBC One |
|---|---|---|
| A rape list was made by boys at the school. | ||
| Domestic abuse charities warned that normalised extreme views can lead to 13-year-old girls being raped by 13-year-old boys. | ||
| Teenage girls sent a campaign video to the Prime Minister about extreme misogyny at school, including a rape list, and the government said it is introducing changes from September to help teachers challenge misogyny. |
Channel Perspectives
What each channel focused on, with key quotes.
This channel focused heavily on the emotional and psychological impact on the girls, with a long studio discussion featuring a specialist teacher and a researcher. It gave significant airtime to expert analysis on the root causes of misogyny among boys, including the role of online influencers and the lack of a positive male narrative. The tone was concerned and analytical, with the presenter emphasising the distressing nature of the video.
- “You would like to think that had they just learned that Quinn would be here and dive and wail in the outplay.”
- “One girl described how disturbed she had been after a rape list was made by boys in her school.”
- “The government says it's taking bold and decisive action to have violence against women and girls, with changes being introduced from September to help teachers challenge misogyny.”
This channel presented a concise, news-style report focusing on the girls' direct testimony and the government's response. It included a domestic abuse charity warning about early relationships and highlighted the role of online influencers. The tone was factual and urgent, with less expert commentary than the BBC News Now segment.
- “Schoolgirls from Tyneside have spoken out about feeling worthless and frightened by the extreme abuse They regularly endure at school and online Including threats of rape sexist insults and aggressive misogyny”
- “Well, there was a rape list that was made just boys ordering girls who like want to rape the most And then the least wanna rape how that makes you just feel like Worthless, it's not normal I think about rape and a girl”
- “Sexist and misogynistic Influencers on social platforms will also be covered in the new guidance something the girls think is needed now”
This channel aired a nearly identical report to BBC ONE West, with the same quotes and structure. The signed version suggests it was broadcast with sign language interpretation. The emphasis remained on the girls' personal accounts, the rape list, and the government's curriculum changes. The tone was straightforward and news-led.
- “Schoolgirls from Tyneside have spoken out about feeling worthless and frightened by the extreme abuse they regularly endure at school and online, including threats of rape, sexist insults and aggressive misogyny.”
- “Well, there was a rape list that was made, just boys ordering girls who want to rape the most and then the least want to rape. And it makes you just feel worthless. It's not normal to think about raping a girl.”
- “Sexist and misogynistic influencers on social platforms will also be covered in the new guidance, something the girls think is needed.”
Broadcast Timeline
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