Why now?

• 43% of 16–17-year-olds with prior sexual experience report having been strangled during sex, a practice that carries a real risk of death or lasting injury.
• 15–24 year olds have the highest rates of common STIs of any age group, infections that can lead to serious, life-threatening complications if untreated.
• Children today are up against a fast-changing digital landscape, with 79% of young people having viewed violent pornography by the time they turn 18. They also face the persistent, looming threat of AI-generated sexual deepfakes.
• Approximately 7.7 million people had experienced sexual assault since the age of 16 in 2025.
• Over 2 million women and girls aged 16+ experienced domestic abuse in England and Wales in 2025 two women a week are killed by a man.

Despite these horrifying statistics, compulsory RSE stops at 16. On 4th December, MPs have a once in a lifetime opportunity to change that by voting for Alistair Strathern MP’s Bill to extend compulsory RSE to 18. This Bill is a historic chance to protect children and young people.

About

This is a campaign by Make it Mandatory – a grassroots, youth-led campaign founded by people with lived experience of domestic abuse, calling for Relationships and Sex Education to be a legal requirement up to the age of 18, as this currently ends at 16. This campaign is supported by Killed Women, the End Violence Against Women Coalition (EVAW), Brook and the Sex Education Forum. The campaign is also backed by more than 60 specialist organisations, including Women’s Aid, Everyone’s Invited, the NSPCC and education unions.