Councilors in Halton, Cheshire have backed a notice of motion to encourage the introduction of gender-neutral school uniforms. The prospective move is being considered due to fears over bullying, sexual violence and harassment of girls have moved a step closer.
A debate and vote on the issue will be held at a future meeting of full council. Cllr Loftus’s motion followed a report to the authority’s Children, Young People, Families Policy and Performance Board in September, which found 90 per cent of girls and young women in the UK had experienced some sort of sexual violence or harassment during their education, Cheshire Live reports.
It also found schools were ‘not being as open as they should be’ about reporting incidents and that when they reported none had occurred, ‘the opposite’ should be assumed as it was a ‘national problem’. At a subsequent meeting of full council, Cllr Loftus called for school girls in the borough to be given the choice of wearing trousers if it made them feel safer.
