5 Year Olds To be Taught How To Avoid Domestic Violence

It really is madness. Domestic violence can indeed take many forms but as with most things in life simply knowing about something doesn't mean it will never happen nor is there any evidence that that knowledge itself stops domestic violence.

I have great difficulty with Labours machinations to try and show violence is not the answer and yet they send British forces to mete out the ultimate in violence on other people. It's a classic case of do as I say but not as I do which of course the righteous are very well practised in.

The truth is that in life violence or more often the threat of violence is sometimes the only answer and having the ability to judge when violence should be used and when it should not is a very desirable thing to learn, in my opinion.

As we saw very recently in America if a female police officer hadn't met violence with her own form of measured violence the death toll caused by the rogue Army major would have been much higher than it was. This is just the most recent case. However domestic violence within the home or the family is not acceptable but simply trying to 'ban' violence by social conditioning children is not the right way to go about it.

As usual with this government we see that as far as one Harriet Harman, she who thinks she can drive safely with her steering wheel in one hand and phone in the other, domestic violence is always perpetrated by men against women and children. She is of course wrong as a quick Google that domestic violence is not gender or age specific!

Still here's the story from the BBC and here's the link.

Every school pupil in England is to be taught that domestic violence is unacceptable, as part of a new government strategy.

Under the plans, from 2011 children will be taught from the age of five how to prevent violent relationships.

And next year, two helplines will be set up to deal with sexual violence and stalking and harassment.

The charity Refuge has welcomed the announcement and is urging people to speak out against domestic violence.

About a million women are victims of at least one domestic violence incident a year, according to the British Crime Survey.

Prime Minister Gordon Brown said violence against women and girls was "an obscenity".

Name calling

More than £13m is being provided to help support victims of sexual and domestic violence in a range of actions by the police, local authorities, NHS and government.

From 2011, lessons in gender equality and preventing violence in relationships will be included in the statutory personal, social, health and economic (PSHE) education curriculum.

Before qualifying, trainee teachers will have to learn about teaching gender awareness and domestic violence.

Schools minister Vernon Coaker said lessons would be age appropriate.

"The appropriateness of what you do with someone who is five-years-old is totally different in terms of content and how you will be taught to someone who is 15 or 16," he said.

Younger children could be taught to prevent bullying and how names could hurt people, he added.

But critics have accused the government of interfering in how parents bring up their children.

Margaret Morrissey, of the Parents Outloud campaign group, said schools should focus on teaching children to read and write.

"This political correctness is turning our children into confused mini-adults from the age of five to nine," she said.

Plans will also see the piloting of domestic violence protection orders - or "Go" orders - which could see perpetrators excluded from their homes and give victims space to apply for longer-term protection.

A health taskforce set up to examine the role of the NHS in response to female victims of violence will publish recommendations in 2010.

'Postcode lottery'

The strategy coincides with the launch of a Four Ways To Speak Out campaign by domestic violence charity Refuge, fronted by famous faces such as Dame Helen Mirren and Sheryl Gascoigne.

It wants people to sign a petition urging the government to put an end to "the postcode lottery of domestic violence services".

Lisa King, director of communications at Refuge, welcomed the government's plans but said there was an "urgent need" for services for abused women and children.

"One in three authorities still do not provide such services... a woman might have to move a long distance to find the support she needs.

"Councils should be required by law to provide a range of services to victims of domestic violence and abuse and the government should put the necessary funding in place," she said.

The "particular needs" of abused women from black and minority ethnic backgrounds also needed to be properly served, she added.

It is a view echoed by Donna Covey, chief executive of the Refugee Council.

"We know that refugee women are disproportionately likely to be affected by rape and sexual violence... it is therefore of great concern that women fleeing violence find it difficult to access appropriate services in the UK, and there is nothing in this strategy to address this," she said.

Harriet Harman, minister for women and equality, said tackling violence against women and girls was "one of the government's top priorities".

She said the strategy called Together we can end violence against women and girl, focused on prevention, which was "critical" to long-term change.

"We have to work to change attitudes in order to eliminate violence against women and girls and to make it clear beyond doubt that any form of violence against women is unacceptable," she said.

For those of you wondering where the comments went on the previous post I have switched them off as there is evidence of a troll posting in the comments so until this is sorted, not by me I do not have the knowledge but I know a man who does, they will remain switched off on that story.