Secondary school leaders’ lack of knowledge of abuse in adolescent intimate partner relationships in Northern Ireland, a post-conflict region

This paper explores secondary school leaders’ knowledge, specifically lack of knowledge, about abuse in adolescent intimate romantic relationships in Northern Ireland (NI), a post-conflict society. It is based on semi-structured interviews conducted with 14 participants (principals, deputy-principals, senior teachers – all pastoral leads). There were participants who did not recognize that abuse may exist in adolescent relationships, or that adolescents may have romantic relationships, thus focusing their school’s prevention activities on adult relationships. Findings and implications are discussed within the silencing structures of the NI context. The paper identifies the need to reconceptualize school prevention efforts to encompass both youth and adult relationships and emphasizes the need for systemic change.