FW Opinion: Why we must call out harmful sexual behaviour
© Adobe Stock Last week we published an investigation which sparked a national conversation about the way women and girls are treated at young farmers’ events.
The piece also, it is fair to say, prompted a serious backlash from certain quarters of the agricultural industry.
See also: Is there a problem with young farmer culture?
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We have shared some snippets of this criticism in our follow-up story and on the Letters page in the magazine, which is given over to the topic in view of the volume of correspondence we’ve received.
But, as well as the criticism, we have been overwhelmed with support from both men and women who were disgusted by, or have experience of, the revelations in the article.
During the course of the investigation, it became clear that many girls have been victims of sexual assault at young farmers’ parties.
These assaults include the lifting up of skirts, the pulling down of tops and inappropriate touching.
Four other women have since been in touch to say that on “many occasions”, men have taken things even further than this, attempting to digitally penetrate girls after lifting their skirts.
All four women claimed this kind of behaviour was more common at young farmers’ events than anywhere else.
Other allegations dropping into my inbox after we published include non-consensual videoing of sex acts, with the films subsequently shared among club members; spiking of drinks; forced sex acts; and two rape claims.
Often, these incidents go unreported – either to the clubs or the police – for fear of social isolation.
In rural communities, everyone knows everyone, and this can be a double-edged sword. The familiarity can offer a sense of protection.
But it can also make victims of crimes such as these feel less safe and less willing to speak out, because of the risk of being identified and ostracised. For others, a more straightforward fear of the perpetrator stops them from talking.
It is important to say, though, that no one is suggesting all male young farmers are sexual predators.
The vast majority behave admirably, do fantastic charity work and look after the women they know.
But the minority who are behaving this way do need calling out. Being part of a community brings with it accountability, which only serves to strengthen a culture – not diminish it.
It is precisely because Farmers Weekly values the Young Farmers’ Club (YFC) movement so highly that we felt obliged to give these girls a voice for the first time.
The kind of behaviour we have reported was common knowledge in some rural circles before we published, and it was putting people off joining.
If we want to secure a future for YFC, and protect current and future members, we have to acknowledge this is a problem and work our hardest to find solutions.
That will now be the next step, and we intend to work closely with the National Federation of Young Farmers’ Clubs and others in the rural youth sector to bring about change.