‘There’s an understandable concern from parents, but I think they should feel confident that this education will be age appropriate and grow with the students.’
By Jaymie Hooper
A landmark decision by the Australian government will see sexual consent education mandated across schools nationally from next year, with children as young as four expected to participate in the program. But what will the lessons entail? And will they be ageappropriate?
What is consent education?
At its most basic level, consent education involves teaching young people that no means no in sexual relationships and situations.
The current Australian sex education curriculum focuses on teaching students how to stand up for themselves, navigate peer pressure and identify respectful relationships (offline and online) but it fails to provide a holistic overview of consent, and schools are not required to teach it.
Due to the work of sexual abuse activists, such as former private school student Chanel Contos, that will change.
On February 17, after consultation with Contos (whose petition for consent education reform garnered more than 44,000 signatures after an Instagram poll revealed hundreds of her peers had been sexually assaulted), state and federal ministers voted to add consent to the national curriculum – a ground-breaking win in the fight against sexual abuse. Students will partake in the syllabus from 2023, including those just starting school.
Why do we need consent education? Isn’t sex ed enough?
According to Katrina Marson, criminal lawyer and lead of prevention projects at Rape and Sexual Assault Research and Advocacy (RASARA), comprehensive relationships and sexuality education can act as a protective factor against assault, and reduce the likelihood of negative sexual experiences.
“When provided from a young age, it equips young people with the knowledge, skills and values they need to safeguard their own and others’ sexual wellbeing and safety,” she explains. Dr Kimberley O’Brien, co-founder of child psychology clinic The Quirky Kid, agrees that starting consent education early affords children more opportunities to apply the concept in life.
“Children who are educated, empowered and have the opportunity to practise [consent] skills have the best chance of understanding their own boundaries and enforcing those boundaries with others,” she explains.
“If we introduced consent education to high schoolers, it may feel like a foreign concept, but with early intervention, kids grow up knowing consent is important and boundaries are to be respected.”
What will students be taught? Is it suitable for young children?
“There’s an understandable concern from parents, but I think they should feel confident that this education will be age appropriate and grow with the students,” explains Saxon Mullins, director of advocacy at RASARA.
While the final curriculum is expected to be signed off by education ministers this April, Mullins assures parents that “it will be designed with input from relationship and sexuality education experts around the country”.
Consent education for primary school children will not include examples of sexually explicit scenarios, but focus on building the foundations of consent. “It’s taught in a way that makes sense to young people,” adds Marson.
“For example, through sharing toys, playing with friends and giving relatives hugs.” High school students will be given comprehensive sex education, strategies to identify instances of coercive control and how to communicate assertively and respectfully, as well as opportunities to practise how to seek, give or deny consent.
The curriculum reform is welcome news to Dannielle Miller, CEO of Enlighten Education, who stresses that consent education must be well-rounded. “We need to deconstruct power imbalances, gender stereotypes and discuss all forms of relationship abuse,” she explains. “We must not get so focused on sexual violence that we fail to address many other forms of violence young people experience – not just as witnesses to violence within their homes but in their own relationships.”
How do young Australians feel about consent education?
According to Miller, who runs in-school respectful relationship programs, teens are eagerly anticipating the curriculum. “We already talk to young people about consent and, let me tell you, teens are so ready to have this discussion,” she says.
“They also have expectations the talks must be nuanced, inclusive and authentic. They want more than just the basics.” Adds Mullins, a survivor of sexual assault who has lobbied for consent reforms since 2018 and feels education mandates are overdue, “Sexual violence has been swept under the rug for far too long.”
How to help boys be part of the solution
Worried that your son could feel targeted by the new curriculum? Psychologist Dr Kimberley O’Brien reveals how to talk to young men about consent “Consent education is no more important for young boys than it is for any other gender.
It’s something that we should all be aware of. By being open- minded, you can encourage young people to consider the information in a way that’s not biased. It helps them put that information into practice, rather than questioning whether it’s right or wrong, so try to model being curious about the material that’s coming your way.”
Complete Article ↪HERE↩!