Affirmative consent is when the verbal and physical cues a person is giving you show that they are comfortable, consenting and keen to continue.

To put it simply,  its the proactive asking and giving of consent between people.

This means “no” is still ‘no’, AND the absence of an enthusiastic and ongoing “yes” is also a  ‘no’.

Every person has the right to choose to have sex the way they want, and to make that choice freely every time without feeling pressured due to their circumstances or out of fear of repercussions. Saying “yes” to a kiss or allowing your partner to touch you, caress you, take your top off etc. does not imply a yes to everything.

The most basic thing to remember is that consent is voluntary, enthusiastic and continuous.

Without consent is if someone does something to you that you don’t want.

Examples of without consent could be;

• feeling peer pressure to have sex
• someone coercing you into having sex with them when you’ve said no ( or were unable to say no)
• being bullied, tricked or intimidated with words or violence into having sex or physical contact

Without consent also includes;

• minors (under the age of 17)
• if someone is intoxicated
• if someone is passed out or asleep
• and if someone has a mental impairment that may inhibit them from being fully aware of what they are agreeing to.

Sexual assault is a criminal offence.

The term “sexual assault”  covers a range of different types of sexual behaviour that can be understood as unwanted or forced.

• Indecent Assault – unwanted touching, fondling, masturbation
• Rape – unwanted oral, anal or vaginal penetration, and
• Sexual Harassment – unwanted repeated sexualised comments, “passes”, dirty jokes, or sexual questions.

Sexual assault can happen to anyone regardless of their race, gender, sexuality, religion or disability. It is a violation of trust is the exploitation of a vulnerability and the abuse of power.

Sexual violence does not always include physical touch. It might involve, but is not limited to, coercion, manipulation, grooming or other non-physical acts of a sexual kind that make a person feel unsafe.

Forcing or coercing someone to have sex when they don’t want to is sexual assault, regardless of the relationship between the perpetrator and victim. Consent needs to be sought each and every time.

No one asks for or deserves to be sexually assaulted.

Women, men and people with other gender identities can be sexually assaulted by someone of the same or different gender, by use of an object or hand.

Sexual harassment is any unwanted or unwelcome sexual behaviour.

Sexual harassment can be a form of discrimination against the victim, and is an inappropriate assertion of power by the perpetrator. Sexual harassment can occur anywhere, in person or online.

Examples of sexual harassment include;

• making unwanted remarks regarding a person’s appearance or attractiveness
• asking a person questions about their relationship or sex life
• sending emails with sexual content
• showing a person pornographic pictures on a phone or computer
• unnecessarily touching the person without their consent

In any environment, it is important that you assess the situation. If you feel you are in danger, take immediate precautions.

Rape culture is the notion of normalizing sexual violence… this means normalising societal attitudes and cultural perspectives that address the sex roles and patriarchal views.

Rape culture is;

• Attitudes based on gender stereotypes – that being a ‘man’ means you should be dominant and aggressive; that being a ‘woman’ means you need to be submissive and sexually passive.tasking victims with the burden of rape prevention
• encouraging women to learn self-defence as though that is the only solution required to prevent rape
• warning women to “learn common sense” or “be more responsible” or “avoid these places” or “don’t dress this way”; failing to caution men to not rape
• phrases like “she asked for it” or “boys will be boys”

Accepting rape myths only helps to create environments in which many individuals are disempowered. This includes everyone; women, men, people with disabilities, members of the LGBTQIA+ community.

An active bystander is someone who not only witnesses a situation but takes the steps to speak up or step in to keep a situation from escalating or to disrupt a problematic situation.

Active bystanders are everyday superheroes.