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Students at Eton College (archive image)
Photo: Christopher Furlong / Getty Images
After thousands of reports of sexual violence in schools, pressure is mounting on the UK government to act.
Education Secretary Gavin Williamson called the attacks on public and private schools "shocking and shameful."
He announced that the government would take "appropriate action."
Elite institutions such as Eton College or St. Paul's College are affected.
In some cases, eleven-year-olds are said to have been abused;
the attacks range from misogynist statements to the publication of intimate photos to rape, the London Times reported.
On Twitter, Gavin called on all victims of such attacks to turn to someone they trust.
This could be "a relative, a friend, a teacher, a social worker, or the police."
"A school, whether it is independent or state-owned, should never be an environment in which young people do not feel safe, much less a place where sexual abuse can take place."
The Everyone's Invited website has already collected around 10,000 reports from victims, often girls, of sexual violence in the UK.
Sara Soma, now 22, started the website in June 2020.
Parents should report sons
Due to the violent death of the 35-year-old Londoner Sarah Everard in early March, the response to the website increased significantly.
Soma complains that there is a "culture of rape" in Britain.
Sexual violence usually goes unpunished.
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London police have since said they are investigating reports of some particularly serious offenses.
The National Council of Police Chiefs (NPCC) urged parents to report their sons to the police if they had committed sexual assault.
A UK government spokeswoman said the government is in contact with Everyone's Invited to provide “support, protection and advice” to those affected.
him / AFP