Schools pupils in Flintshire are being encouraged to have open conversations about misogyny.

It follows concerns over youngsters being exposed to the social media content of online influencer Andrew Tate in which he expresses extreme views about women.

The former kickboxer is currently facing charges of human trafficking, rape and exploiting women in Romania – allegations which he denies.

He has millions of online followers and his influence on boys and young men has been linked to a rise in misogynistic incidents in schools across the UK.

A recent Flintshire Council meeting heard how schools in the county are looking to combat Tate’s popularity by holding discussions on issues such as consent and toxic masculinity.

It came after a Liberal Democrat councillor slammed the 37-year-old’s views, which he said were similar to those promoted by the Taliban, and asked what was being done to prevent youngsters from being radicalised.

David Coggins Cogan, who represents Gwernaffield and Gwernymynydd, said: “What is the strategy of countering the influence of Mr Tate?

“(His beliefs) are predicated on deep insecurities, and the abuse of women. It’s an entire culture.

“I imagine it’s incredibly difficult due to his social media base but how do you intervene?”

The issue was raised as councillors discussed a report on the activities of Flintshire’s Community Safety Partnership, which includes representatives from the local authority, police and health services.

The council’s corporate resources scrutiny committee was told how grant funding has been used to try and reduce violence against women and domestic abuse.

It includes a “train the trainer” project aimed at holding discussions with boys and young men about masculinity.

Speaking at last Thursday’s meeting (October 10, 2024), Sian Jones, Flintshire’s community and business protection manager, said: “The issues around toxic masculinity, consent and pressures faced by our young people with respect to social media are really challenging.

“It’s something that’s already been identified by our vulnerability and exploitation group.

“There has been funding in place from the Welsh Government for interventions in schools focused on consent, toxic masculinity and misogyny.

“It’s really important that we are able to identify the victims and support the survivors, but it’s also about dealing with the perpetrators and those who espouse views which aren’t consistent with the values we uphold.”

A report by education watchdog Estyn published in 2021 found more than half of all secondary school pupils in Wales had been sexually harassed by other youngsters.

It said the issue was particularly prevalent online and called for them to be properly educated on healthy relationships and sex.

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James Warr, manager of the Flintshire Youth Justice Service, said: “In terms of responding to toxic masculinity, it is absolutely a priority and something that we need to support our staff to be able to respond to.

“We have invested in training for justice and other professionals around masculinity and how we can respond to those issues.

“Hopefully, we’re reaching a wider population with those conversations in order to prevent those types of behaviours.”