Here we are, facing another prime example of why I’ve chosen home education for my kids.
You may have heard the recent news out of Manchester, England – Rebecca Joynes, a local schoolteacher, has found herself in the spotlight, and not for a noble reason. This Math teacher reportedly had a child with a teenager that she was involved with, and this came about while she was out on bail – accused of engaging in a sexual relationship with another underage student.
Manchester Evening News shares that Joynes all but handed over her personal phone number to the first student, playing a bizarre game where he had to guess the 11th digit. Gallivanting about town, buying an expensive Gucci belt for the boy – it gets worse. Come that night, she reportedly engaged in illicit relations with him at her apartment.
As reported by New York Post, Joynes took the young boy’s protests lightly, laughing them off as she forced unprotected relations with him. Ms. Joynes insists on her innocence, denying all claims of sexual activity.
But wait, there’s more. While awaiting a court hearing for these allegations, another minor was reportedly in her bed! Joynes, having been forced to step away from her professional duties due to the first incident, seemingly assumed this made her predatory behavior with another young boy tolerable.
The subsequent tragic series of events included explicit Snapchat interactions and one thing leading to another, resulting in a sexual relationship, according to the Manchester Evening News. Despite assuring the boy that her medical condition made conceptions “practically impossible,” their illicit liaisons resulted in the birth of a child.
Joynes is said to have presented the child’s underage father with a sentimental gift, and on that same evening suggested a variety of sexual activities using a “scratchcard” from Victoria’s Secret as reference.
Joynes’ defense hinges on her claim of not being on active duty during the incident, and on the young boy being 16 – the UK’s legal age of consent. However, with a considerable age gap and her authoritative position, that’s a gray area. To quote the Manchester Evening News, “Ms Joynes denies four counts of sexual activity with a child, and two counts of such activity by a person in a position of trust.”
This unsettling tale might be from across the pond, but let’s not be naive. The U.S. sees its fair share of similar stories. Numerous recent cases from across the states underline this harsh reality – in places where nurturing, learning, and growth should be the norms, trust is being exploited by those we entrust our children to.
I reiterate, this heartbreaking abuse of trust, at the hands of supposed ‘trusted adults,’ needs to stop. It’s high time we strip the veils from these unspeakable acts and demonstrate zero tolerance towards them. Child exploitation, in any form, in any place, is unacceptable. It’s our collective responsibility to protect our children and their right to a secure, encouraging environment. It’s time we put this right front and center of societal discourse.
