Everyone's Invited: Online sexual abuse campaign lists 30 NI schools

The website has received tens of thousands of testimonies since launching in June 2020

An online campaign which posts students' anonymous testimonies of sexual assault and harassment lists 30 schools in Northern Ireland.

Everyone's Invited has received 54,000 accounts from across the UK since it was set up in June 2020.

BBC News NI has been told Education Minister Michell McIlveen wrote to the local schools mentioned in July 2021.

The campaign has also prompted the Department of Education (DE) to review safeguarding practices.

The Education and Training Inspectorate was commissioned to "undertake a review of effective preventative safeguarding practices in schools and Education other than at school (EOTAS) centres".

In England, the government set up a helpline and review to respond to the thousands of allegations posted to the website.

Ms McIlveen said she directed all schools to "sources of support".

Everyone's Invited prompted the Department of Education (DE) to review safeguarding practices

In a statement, the minister told BBC News NI: "Prioritising the safety and protecting of our children and young people is foremost in our minds.

"The department is aware that a number of testimonies from pupils of schools in Northern Ireland have been included on the Everyone's Invited website.

"I wrote initially to the schools listed to draw this to their attention and subsequently wrote to all schools to update them on Everyone's Invited and direct them to sources of support."

What is Everyone's Invited?

In June 2020, Soma Sara, who is now in her twenties, shared her experience on Instagram of what she calls "rape culture".

Within a week she had received and shared more than 300 anonymous responses from people with stories of "misogyny, harassment, abuse and assault".

The Everyone's Invited website now carries thousands of victims' testimonies, often from schools and universities.

Experiences range from being drugged and raped at parties to explicit images being shared over messaging platforms.

BBC News NI approached all schools named on the list. Five responded in full and one is no longer open.

The five schools all pointed to their child protection policies and spoke of child safety and protection as a priority.

The PSNI said it takes reports of sexual crimes "incredibly seriously" and would encourage "anyone who is a victim to please come forward directly to the police to report or tell a trusted adult so that they can make a report on their behalf".

"We know that it can be daunting to come forward to police but we have specially trained officers who can help and support you every step of the way."