REPORT 3
How do boys and girls experience violence?

In this report, we examine how experiences of violence differ for boys and girls, the prevalence of relationship violence among teenage children and what schools are doing to promote healthy relationships between young people.

Here’s what we found.

Violence is experienced differently by boys and girls.

24%

of boys report being victims of violence

16%

of girls report being victims of violence

The gap widens further when it comes to perpetration: 21% of boys admit to violent behaviour, nearly double the 11% of girls.

The types of violence they face also differ. Boys are more frequently victims of most forms of violence, including robbery, physical assault and incidents involving weapons. Sexual violence is the exception, with the rates being closer: 6% of boys and 7% of girls aged 13-17 report experiencing sexual violence in the past year.

Online, the issue of sexual violence becomes even more pervasive – 27% of all 13-17-year-olds say they’ve seen images or threats of sexual assault. Additionally, 33% have encountered content that encourages violence against women and girls specifically, highlighting a concerning trend in digital spaces. For an in-depth look at how violence on social media impacts children’s lives, read our dedicated report in this series.

Relationship violence is common for both boys and girls.

Of the teenage children we surveyed this year, 27% had been in a romantic relationship over the past year. Among these, nearly half (49%) have experienced violent or controlling behaviours from their partner.

Younger teens (aged 13-15) in relationships are significantly more likely to report violent or controlling experiences in their relationships (58%) than those aged 16-17 (42% of those in relationships). Surprisingly, boys in relationships are more likely to say they experience violent or controlling behaviours (57%) compared to girls (41%).

Schools teach lessons on healthy relationships, but topics such as consent may not be reaching those who most need it.

Our findings highlight the importance of education and support in promoting healthy relationships among children and young people. However, they also reveal that such lessons are not universally taught or consistently reaching those who need them the most.

While 76% of students report receiving some form of education on dating and relationships in the past year, the reach of these lessons is uneven. The most commonly taught topics – sexual consent and harassment – have only reached about half of 13-17-year-olds, with 55% receiving lessons on consent and 43% on harassment. Additionally, only 40% say they’ve received lessons on how to be in healthy and respectful romantic relationships.

Children who admit to perpetrating sexual violence are even less likely to say they’ve received lessons on consent and harassment than the average – only 39% and 31%, respectively. This indicates that while some efforts are underway, there is a pressing need for more targeted and thorough education to effectively support and safeguard young people in their relationships.