Campaign led by pupils to ban school uniforms from pornography reaches 5,000 supporters
A group of teenage girls from Oxfordshire have started a campaign to get school uniforms banned from pornography amid fears that it "sexualises children and young people".
A secondary school in Oxfordshire said it "could not be prouder" of its own pupils after a group of girls started a campaign to get school uniforms banned from pornography.
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A petition started by the Little Feminist Bookclub of the Cooper School in Bicester has already reached nearly 5,000 signatures with the aim to get it debated in Parliament.
The petition reads: "School uniform use in pornography, which may not be covered by existing legislation, is a clear example of material that sexualises children and young people.
They added: "Children are being sexualised by the depiction of school aged identities in pornographic content. Please help to support our campaign by signing this petition. Collectively, we can achieve this goal: we can protect the current youth and those to come."
In an interview with The Times, one member of the bookclub, 15-year-old Rose said she hates wearing her school uniform on the journey home and that she doesn't wear skirts anymore.
“I can’t stand it,” she said. “Not because it’s uncomfortable but because of the possibilities of how it is perceived."
Aylin, also 15, said: “I keep reflecting on us feeling unsafe in our own uniform. Why don’t we take this seriously?
"Why is it not regulated? It shows how cruel the world is, but we’re trying to make it better.”
Another pupil, Willow, 14, said: “Given the idea that school uniforms are in pornography, nobody goes, ‘Oh, but that’s acceptable. Oh, but that’s unimportant.’ Not one person. So why aren’t people doing something about it?”
She added: "If the government’s main priority is child safety,” Willow says, “why is there so much media out there that’s sexualising children in school uniforms?”
When asked by the interviewer how it feels to run a campaign against school uniform in porn while having to wear a school uniform, pupil Mae, also 15, said “It’s because we’re children ourselves.”
“It starts to click when it comes from us,” Aylin says. “To have the victims of sexualisation in front of you, pleading - that’s sad.”
'Ruining lives'
The group cites Professor Clare McGlynn from Durham University, a leading campaigner on the reform of pornographic laws, who said this form of explicit content is "ruining" the lives of young teenage girls every day.
'Could not be prouder'
In a Facebook post shared by the school, they said: "We could not be prouder of our inspiring students!
"A group of incredible teenage girls from Cooper School are taking a brave, national stand by campaigning to ban school uniforms from pornographic content.
"These driven young women are calling out the sexualisation of young people, highlighting how the use of school outfits in adult media directly affects how girls feel and are treated in their everyday lives.
"They are showing true leadership, determination, and courage by bringing this critical conversation to MPs, regulators, and national news outlets like The Times.
"Please join us in supporting their vital campaign and standing with our students as they work to create a safer world for all young people."
A 2018 survey by the charity Plan International of 1,000 girls aged 14-21 found that 35 per cent had received unwanted sexual attention while in school uniform, 13 per cent when they were 12 or under, and 8 per cent had been filmed by a stranger without their consent while in a school uniform.