'1 in 5 British women harassed in school'

A new survey reveals that more than a fifth of British women experienced unwanted sexual contact while in school.

According to survey conducted by the Children’s charity Plan UK, 22 percent of women reported having suffered unwanted sexual touching, groping, flashing, sexual assault or rape while they were “in or around” school.

The findings are based on over 3,700 interviews including more than 2,000 women. 61 percent of the women said they were sexually harassed never reported the abuse.

Though social groups say girls are “especially vulnerable” to sexual violence and bullying at school, the results of the survey suggest a third of adults of both genders have suffered unwanted sexual contact while at school.

“Our findings show that schoolgirls have been suffering in silence for decades. We know that these experiences can have a devastating impact on their lives. Unwanted sexual contact can affect a young girl's self-esteem and educational achievements,” a member of Plan UK, Tanya Barron said.

Rights groups have already called for a number of measures to combat sexual violence at schools, including a comprehensive sexual education program to help young people understand healthy relationships and the nature of consent.

JNU Row: Anirban and Umar Khalid Surrender to Delhi Police

JNU students Umar Khalid and Anirban Bhattacharya, accused of sedition, have surrendered before the Delhi Police, hours after the High Court refused to give them any protection from arrest.

The two students, who had been camping at the JNU campus since Sunday night, surrendered at midnight. They drove from the administrative block to the main gate of the university and were escorted in a private security vehicle to an undisclosed location.

Mr Khalid and Mr Bhattacharya are likely to be produced before a magistrate today.

The students had moved the High Court for protection to surrender and requested that they be allowed to do so at a secret location. They cited the attack on their arrested comrade Kanhaiya Kumar, who was attacked last week when he was being taken to court for a bail hearing.

The police, however, told the court that they would not be able to manage law and order at a location chosen by the students.

The court said: "You can't use your whim and fancy. You have to follow the procedure, surrender or arrest. You have to be produced before a magistrate and he will decide whether you go into police custody or jail."

Umar Khalid and Anirban have been accused of organizing an event on February 9 to mark the anniversary of the hanging of terrorist Afzal Guru, in which anti-India slogans were raised.

Kanhaiya Kumar was arrested earlier this month for his alleged role in that event. He is in the Tihar Jail. His bail plea will also be heard by the high court today.

On Sunday night, Umar Khalid, Anirban and three other students accused of sedition, missing for days, showed up on the JNU campus and challenged the police to arrest them. The police were not allowed to enter the campus and said the students must surrender.

JNU Row: Be On The Front Foot, PM Tells BJP

Prime Minister Narendra Modi told BJP lawmakers this evening to "aggressively debate" the JNU issue in Parliament tomorrow. He was speaking at the BJP Parliamentary party executive committee meeting.

The government and opposition will debate the JNU incident and Hyderabad University Scholar Rohith Vemula's suicide in Rajya Sabha tomorrow.
A united opposition plans to target the government's handling of the JNU incident - the police swooping down on the campus at night and the slapping of tough sedition charges on students. The government too is preparing to respond with aggression.
A clear indication that the NDA will launch an unapologetic counter offensive on the JNU issue came during the meeting of the BJP's top leaders in Parliament this evening. Here, PM Modi is said to have told party lawmakers, "The government is working fine and has a lot to show. The opposition is raking up non issues like JNU that the party needs to debate and contest aggressively."
Party chief Amit Shah too said, "The government has done nothing wrong." At the meeting, Finance Minister Arun Jaitley spoke on the legal aspects of the JNU case, including the sedition law. He told lawmakers of a Supreme Court judgment on the law that said raising anti national slogan amounts to sedition.
The party's lawmakers were told to counter the opposition by citing the arrest of Kashmiri terrorist Muhammad Ghauri from JNU during Congress-led UPA rule. They were also asked to rake up how two army officers were beaten up badly on the university campus, during the debate.
Mr Modi also held a meeting with NDA allies after meeting his party's lawmakers. He said the government wants Parliament to run during this session and has met opposition leaders four times ahead of the session to ensure that. The Shiv Sena backed the BJP's plan to go aggressive on the JNU issue but advised caution on Mr Vemula's suicide.  "We asked for caution on the Hyderabad University scholar's suicide incident. The case involves a Dalit student and an aggressive stance will hurt the government and parties in the NDA," a Sena leader told NDTV.


NDTV