Parents have called for schools to do more to teach students,boys and girls alike,about sexual consent at an earlier age. Consent forms part of the NSW syllabus but is sometimes ticked off by hosting a guest speaker rather than building it into lessons more holistically.
The book,Welcome to Consent,to be published in June,could be a welcome tool for parents and educators who are realising that they need to tackle the topic in much more detail. One mother toldThe Sun-Heraldschools shouldinstruct students with scenarios similar to how learner drivers are taught the road rules.
Stynes said the book provides just that level of detail to help teens navigate the grey area - what to do,for example,if someone has had a bit to drink but is not falling down drunk. (Short answer? If you’re unsure,there’s no consent).
Stynes said it felt pressing because both she and Dr Kang had experience navigating the issue with their own children and “consent” could be boiled down to a simple concept.
“Imagine your body is like a territory,you’re the boss of it and you can say what happens in this territory,” Stynes said. “Having that concept quite clear means that you understand also that other people’s bodies are their territory.”
Loading
She said the issue of “consent” also applied to medical treatment,tickling sessions with children and even haircuts. She acknowledged there was also an overlap between individual autonomy and parents making health decisions for their children or society imposing rules such as face masks on public transport.