SCHOOLS have a vital role to play in protecting the 11,000 Northern Ireland children who are living with domestic violence every day, according to a leading educationalist.

Avril Hall Callaghan, General Secretary of the Ulster Teachers’ Union, was speaking following statistics from women’s charity Refuge about people’s perceptions of violence.

Worryingly, it found that three-quarters of the women surveyed did not recognise non-physical abuse, like verbal bullying or jealousy, as indicators of domestic violence.

“According to police statistics almost a third of murders in Northern Ireland involve domestic situations and one women is seriously assaulted by her male partner every day,” said Ms Hall Callaghan.

"While statistics from the local offices of Women’s Aid show that 11,000 children here live with domestic violence every day, five people are killed each year and over 700 families are re-housed as a result of violence in the home.

“But as well as the physical force a more subtle form of abuse can go on behind closed doors. Sometimes abuse begins as emotional abuse and becomes physical. Even is it doesn't it can be just as damaging leaving its own painful scars, especially on the children that Ulster teachers meet every day.

“The Revised Curriculum allows teachers to broach sensitive areas like this, so our children can be educated in a way which might stem this tragic spiral.”

UTU field officer Jacquie Reid explained that children could discuss issues like domestic violence under the remit of the Relationships and Sexuality Education in primary schools and Personal and Social Education in the secondary sector.

“The difficulty is that people can get hung up on what they see as the ‘sex education’ element of this area of the curriculum. In fact, it’s so much wider,” she explained.

“It’s about, in primary schools, helping children understand the difference between good and bad relationships, good and bad touches, helping them choose friends wisely, showing them they don’t have to feel pressured into doing anything they feel isn’t right.

“Unfortunately, some people think these classes are about raising awareness among children of issues they aren’t comfortable with. In fact, the curriculum will simply help youngsters appreciate how to treat other people and how they themselves should be treated.”

Ms Reid explained, however, that schools could choose what line to take on a range of more sensitive areas eg homosexuality, abortion, domestic violence.

“Schools may decide not to cover these issues but still have a policy and a stance should a child ask about them. A pupil may have discovered there is a gay person in their family and they might raise this topic,” she said.

“And it’s important children feel they have somewhere they can discuss these things.

“Northern Ireland has one of the worst rates of suicide, for instance, among young people, and statistics show that domestic issues are often one of the trigger factors in the negative feelings which drive young people to suicidal thoughts.

“Schools have a vital role to play and I am hopeful that as the whole issue of domestic violence becomes more prominent in the public psyche, we’ll be able to tackle the issue head-on.

“Teachers are already doing some fabulous work in this area thanks to the pastoral care systems established in many schools but they need more training and support.”

TEACHERS NEED MORE SUPPORT TO TACKLE DOMESTIC VIOLENCE ISSUES