Staying safe and healthy: Forced marriage, FGM, hymenoplasty & virginity testing
Staying safe and healthy: Forced marriage, FGM, hymenoplasty & virginity testing
Downloads can take a few minutes, especially for larger files or slower connections.
Why this why now
As Year 8 pupils develop deeper understanding of consent, bodily autonomy and respectful relationships, they need safeguarding knowledge about harmful practices that violate these principles. This unit provides essential information about FGM, virginity testing, hymenoplasty and forced marriage as serious forms of abuse with legal protections. At this developmental stage, pupils can understand these complex issues sensitively, recognise warning signs, know how to seek help, and understand their role in protecting themselves and others from violence against women and girls.
Prior knowledge requirements
- Pupils should understand what constitutes respectful relationships, including that everyone has the right to make decisions about their own body and future without coercion.
- Pupils should be familiar with the concept of consent from earlier learning, recognising that all people deserve bodily autonomy and that forcing someone into harmful practices is abuse.
- Pupils should know from earlier units how to report concerns to trusted adults and access support, understanding that reporting abuse protects both themselves and others.
Why this why now
As Year 8 pupils develop deeper understanding of consent, bodily autonomy and respectful relationships, they need safeguarding knowledge about harmful practices that violate these principles. This unit provides essential information about FGM, virginity testing, hymenoplasty and forced marriage as serious forms of abuse with legal protections. At this developmental stage, pupils can understand these complex issues sensitively, recognise warning signs, know how to seek help, and understand their role in protecting themselves and others from violence against women and girls.
Prior knowledge requirements
- Pupils should understand what constitutes respectful relationships, including that everyone has the right to make decisions about their own body and future without coercion.
- Pupils should be familiar with the concept of consent from earlier learning, recognising that all people deserve bodily autonomy and that forcing someone into harmful practices is abuse.
- Pupils should know from earlier units how to report concerns to trusted adults and access support, understanding that reporting abuse protects both themselves and others.
Staying safe and healthy: Forced marriage, FGM, hymenoplasty & virginity testing
This unit addresses violence against women and girls, updated to reflect the 2026 RSHE guidance. Pupils learn about FGM, virginity testing, hymenoplasty and forced marriage, understanding the serious harms, legal protections, and how to seek help and report concerns.
3 lessons in unit
slide decks, worksheet PDFs, quizzes and lesson overviews. You can select individual lessons from the Staying safe and healthy: Forced marriage, FGM, hymenoplasty & virginity testing unit and download the resources you need, or download the entire unit now. See every unit listed in our secondary rshe (pshe) curriculum and discover more of our teaching resources for secondary rshe (pshe) programmes.