The Tory candidate to replace Nadine Dorries has invited children as young as 11 to make cartoons depicting sexual harassment.
Festus Akinbusoye, who is standing in the Mid Bedfordshire by-election, is the local Police and Crime Commissioner. He is offering a Go Pro camera and tablet for the best computer animation, short film or digital art that demonstrates what public sexual harassment looks like.
The competition, which is open to children between 11 and 17, closes at the end of this month. The entry guidelines published by Mr Akinbusoye’s office contain no safeguarding advice or parental supervision requirements.
A poster advertising the competition says: “Help us to highlight what public sexual harassment is, what inappropriate behaviours look like and how we can all help to challenge these behaviours."
A Labour source said: “This is grossly inappropriate and it is bewildering that Mr Akinbusoye thought this was acceptable. Violence against women and girls is a scourge on our communities, but this is completely the wrong way to go about tackling it. It makes a mockery of the tireless work of brilliant local charities and campaign groups fighting every day to end it. Mr Akinbusoye should cancel this competition immediately and issue an apology to parents in Bedfordshire who will rightly have been appalled by this initiative.”
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Tory candidate Festus Akinbusoye is trailing behind Labour in the race to become MP for Mid Bedfordshire (Bedfordshire Police)Mr Akinbusoye has been in the £73,000-a-year Bedfordshire Police and Crime Commissioner post since May 2021.
A spokesman for the Office of the Bedfordshire Police and Crime Commissioner said: “Our Safer Streets project has been involved in a comprehensive programme of work with young people to raise awareness and change behaviour around violence against women and girls. Sadly, sexual harassment happens across society so it’s important to tackle these views and attitudes at an early stage through education and prevention.
“This work has included funding dedicated youth workers to deliver presentations in dozens of schools across the county, tailored theatre performances and training to teachers and other school staff. The design competition is one small part of this programme to encourage secondary school age students to think creatively about hugely important issues affecting young people today, such as consent and misogyny.
“The competition was devised in conjunction with safeguarding experts who were supportive of the programme, as well as being marketed predominantly through schools who can provide support to anyone looking to take part.”
Labour is hoping to overturn the Tories’ majority of 24,664 votes to win Mid Bedfordshire in the by-election being held on October 19. The seat became vacant when Ms Dorries quit following a row over whether she would get a peerage. The former minister, who is friends with Mr Akinbusoye, announced in June she was leaving Parliament with immediate effect, but then waited 81 days before formally resigning. She did not speak in the Commons once during her final year as an MP.
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