‘Speak out, you are not alone’: Co-producing knowledge with young people on addressing sexual violence through collaborative, participatory approaches

The prevailing understanding of sexual violence and its prevention remains dominated by legalistic frames focused narrowly on severe physical offences, overlooking the complexity and ambiguity of young people's experiences. This study responds to growing calls to centre young people’s voices in conceptualising sexual violence and its prevention. It explores how they make sense of sexual violence, sexual behaviours, and other forms of violence and abuse; how they exercise agency within constraints; and how they view and recommend improvements to current responses. Adopting a participatory, young person-centred, and trauma-informed approach, the research involved iterative and co-produced workshops with 26 young people (aged 13–18) from Northeast England. This methodology enabled them to articulate complex views on sensitive topics in a safe and supportive environment, fostering dialogue and mutual learning. The findings present a young people-informed conceptualisation of sexual violence that recognises a broad range of behaviours and the diverse language they use to express their experiences. The study highlights how they navigate sexual violence relationally and temporally, exercising agency amid uncertainty about the responses and consequences from others. It also reveals their collective agency in challenging isolation and shame. It demonstrated young people’s needs and recommendations for enhancing whole-school approaches, including transparency, open dialogue with trusted adults regarding ambiguous and concerning experiences, and relational approaches grounded in care, empathy, respect, and meaningful involvement. This study challenges dominant legalistic and adult-centric framings of the problem and its solutions. By promoting young people as co-producers of knowledge and research, it advocates for a reimagining of sexual violence prevention efforts. It positions them as vital partners alongside adults in driving sustainable change.