Promoting healthy relationships: two workshops for young people

Friday 24 January 2025

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Throughout Europe, an increasing number of young people between the ages of 14 and 17 are victims of sexual exploitation for prostitution. However, the issue remains under the radar, as there is very little data and awareness about this phenomenon, which is still very taboo in several European countries.

JERICHO recently conducted two workshops with pupils from the Euromadonie Institute, at the Roccella and Termini Imerese locations. The meetings, aimed at students between the ages of 14 and 17, focused on affective education, the promotion of healthy relationships, and combating abusive and exploitative behaviors of minors.

The workshops, conducted with the support of expert psychologist E. Iannitto, used project materials, including the webseries JERICHO, to raise awareness on issues such as consent, mutual respect and communication in relationships. Informative flyers with practical tips on recognising toxic behaviour and promoting relationships based on respect were distributed.

Through non-formal activities, such as guided discussions, post-it exercises and simulations, students were invited to reflect on key issues, including:

  • Personal boundaries and respect;
  • Consent and mutual respect, including online;
  • Differences between healthy and toxic relationships;
  • Communication, trust and support;
  • Gender stereotypes and their impact in relationships.

Despite the difficulties related to the low level of literacy (in the case of some young people) and the low habit of expressing emotions, the participative method, such as the use of post-it notes, proved effective in engaging young people. This highlighted the importance of introducing continuous affective education in schools.

JERICHO was also presented at local and regional level, through dissemination activities and an interview with TeleTermini, available at the following link.

The JERICHO workshops emphasised the crucial importance of affective education as a prevention tool against gender-based violence, sexual abuse and toxic behaviour in relationships. The feedback gathered showed an increased awareness among students of fundamental values such as respect, trust and consent. However, the initial difficulty in openly addressing these issues confirms the need for further affective education initiatives in schools to promote long-term cultural change.

To learn more about the project and its initiatives contact Cinzia Broccolo: cinzia.broccolo@cesie.org.

About the project

JERICHO – Speak out to break down the wall that makes underage prostitution invisible JERICHO is a project funded by the European Commission’s CERV-DAPHNE programme, and aims to raise awareness on the phenomenon of child sexual exploitation in prostitution through social media campaigns in order to prevent child abuse.

Partners

For further information

Read more about the project, visit https://childrensafe.eu/ and follow us on Instagram and YouTube.

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