TEENAGERS need to be better educated about domestic violence accoding to Glouccestershire County Council.

At a full council meeting yesterday, members unanimously agreed to support a motion that commended the work of the Gloucestershire Domestic Abuse Support Service (GDASS), which supports victims of domestic violence and their families.

The motion then called on the government to introduce an effective Sex and Relationships Education Programme into all UK schools.

It concluded that the council would write to the Secretary of State for Education to ask for action to be taken.

Cllr Klara Sudbury, who proposed the motion, said: “I’m really pleased that all parties supported the decision to write a letter to the Secretary of State.

“We need to educate everyone on how to handle their anger problems and I think it’s great that Gloucestershire County Council is leading the way and urging the government to tackle this issue.”

Cllr Kathy Williams, cabinet member for people with long term care, said: “Domestic abuse towards men or women won’t be tolerated, this is a valid motion and I’m pleased that it was agreed by all parties.

“We’re in the middle of our 16 days of action campaign which makes it even more important for us to do this now.”

The motion comes during Gloucestershire’s 16 days of action campaign, which encourages people to speak out if they are a victim of, or suspect someone to be a victim of, domestic violence.

The county-wide campaign is coordinated by Gloucestershire County Council, Gloucestershire Police, Gloucestershire Police and Crime Commissioner, six district and borough councils and NHS Gloucestershire Clinical Commissioning group.

It aims to encourage people to spot signs of abuse and help everybody to understand what action they can take, as well as the services that are available to support people.

The 16 days of action campaign coincides with the launch of www.glostakeastand.com, a website designed specifically with victims in mind.

The website will include information on all aspects of domestic abuse and sexual violence, including child sexual exploitation, forced marriage, female genital mutilation and honour based violence, and useful advice for people to use including links to all the specialist support agencies locally and nationally.

People will also be able to show their support and follow the campaign's activity on Twitter using #glostakesastand.