In the course of the last few months, the media has shone a light on the endemic and systemic sexual harassment and abuse of females that still exists in today’s society, across all socioeconomic status groups. Public disclosure from a number of brave young women enabled other victims of assault to feel empowered to come forward and acknowledge the trauma they had also experienced. Advocates for gender equality and equity, the right to be safe, and the most basic of all human rights; the right to life, have come forward in their thousands, to raise awareness of the need for major change, with a spotlight focused clearly on the issue on Consent.

The issues around consent and building capacity in young women and girls to develop rewarding, equal and most importantly, respectful relationships, is critical to each individual’s overall health and wellbeing. Within the school setting, Health Education programs play an essential role in embedding the foundations of respect, for yourself and for others, within a sequential, age-appropriate curriculum.

At St Catherine’s School we strive to keep abreast of current health topics and issues, and as such, tailor our health curriculum to meet its fluid nature, providing programs that are adaptable to the changing needs of all students, now and in the future. Our skilled team of educators, in conjunction with outside providers, continue to provide Sexual Education within our Health curriculum, with explicit teaching of crucial information relating to the concepts of consent, intimacy and respectful relationships just some of the key topics explored. For example, simple frameworks for thinking about consent as a voluntary and explicit agreement to engage in sexual activity, by someone who is ‘capable’ of doing so, with the decision made and freely given. It is never okay for someone to ‘assume’ consent and someone who is intoxicated, unconscious or pressured in any way is not ‘capable’ of giving consent. The old adage of ‘No always means No’ remains true, with withdrawal of consent at any time everyone’s right. Most important to note is that Victoria and Tasmania have introduced laws that state ‘not saying or doing anything is not consent to a sexual act’, confirming that consent must always be explicitly given.

Learning tools through dissemination of statistics, group discussion and evaluation of relevant scenarios in different situations, provide opportunities for the development of strategies to increase risk assessment capabilities and the ability to make safe, appropriate decisions. Additionally, a variety of influences within the context of consent are incorporated into our teaching, such as social media and the decreased mental clarity and impulsive behaviour associated with consumption of alcohol.

For some parents it can be awkward to address sensitive issues such as consent with both sons and daughters, however, all Health Education is more effective when taught in partnership with parents’ support at home. Our common goal of striving to empower children to be strong, resilient young people, who have the fundamental life-skills to create and maintain respectful relationships and make healthy, informed decisions, unites us in our endeavour.

There are many excellent online resources available that can assist with strategies on how to talk to your children about Sexual Education. While the recent ‘Milkshake Advertisement’ on consent was launched with disastrous reviews, this link – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pZwvrxVavnQ is a clip about consent and ‘cups of tea’, that has been around for a number of years, however, is still considered a very effective tool.

Other resources you may find useful to utilise to facilitate discussion at home include:

How to talk about consent ages 5 to 18 – https://sexeducationaustralia.com.au

Simple straight language – https://au.reachout.com/articles/5-things-you-need-to-know-about-sexual-consent

Confidential information and support service – https://www.1800respect.org.au

Teaching respectful relationship in school – https://thegoodsociety.gov.au/