All about Consent
All about Consent
Have you ever wondered what the word consent really means? You are not alone. Some people haven't given much though to the idea of consent, but if you are a survivor of a sexual assault or a survivor's loved one or friend, it has most likely been on your mind. This is an informative article on what consent is and how it works.
What is SexualConsent?
Sexual consent is defined as thepermission for something to happen or agreement to do something in a sexual manner. When it comes to a sexual act, it is often verbal permission that must be given in order to consent to something. In many sexual encounters, consent is not outright verbalized and is therefore not given. Does this mean that a sexual assault has occurred? Not always, but in certain cases it definitely does. Remember, an absence of a "no" does not mean "yes'.
Legal Age of Consent
In many countries there is a legal age of consent which a person must meet in order to legally be able to give consent to sex or sexual acts. The laws on this topicreally do depend on the country. Often, there are different levels of legal age of consent. This means that when a person reaches a certain age, they may only be able to legally give consent to sexual acts with a person of similar age group. At a higher age, they may be able to give consent to a more varied age group.
Revoking Consent
Once consent is given, it can very much be revoked. This can happen if a sexual situation goes beyond the comfort zone of a person and they no longer wish to participate. Consent can be revoked at any time. It is important to remember that as a person, you only have to do what you feel you are comfortable with and want to do.
Sexual Assault and Consent
Whenever someone does a sexual act to another person when consent has not been given or it has been revoked by that person, this constitutes sexual assault. There are many grey areas here because as I said earlier, many safe sexual encounters have occurred without any consent being verbalized. HOWEVER, many sexual assaults have also occurred under these same conditions!If you ever feel like you are in that grey area, ensure that you obtain consent from the person(s) that you are engaging in a sexual act with be proceeding - whether it be a simple touch on the shoulder, a kiss, or intercourse. In many countries, it is also impossible to legally give consent when a person is intoxicated (under the influence of alcohol or other substances) or under duress (when a person is threatened).
Conclusion
It is always best to obtain verbal consent before engaging in any sort of sexual act with a person. Remember, an absence of a "no" does not mean "yes". Keep in mind that sexual assault can happen to anyone, independent of sexual orientation, situation, age, whether they are single or in a relationship/marriage.
If you have anything you would like to add or change, please feel free to comment below or send me a private message.
I thought this page was funny and explains consent well (contains some curse words):
https://www.theloop.ca/this-woman-just-explained-consent-with-the-most-perfect-metaphor/
A person does not have consent to sexual intercourse if:
1. The person does not have the capacity to consent (below legal age, or cognitive ability), or
2. The person does not have the opportunity to consent to the sexual intercourse because the person is unconscius or asleep, or
3. The person consents because of threats of force of terror (whether those threats are against or the terror is instilled within the victim), or
4. The person is unlawfully detained/ held/ grabbed/ forced into a position.
5. If the person consents based on mistaken belief as to:
a) the identity of the other person, or
b) the marital status of the other person, or
c) under mistaken belief that the sexual intercourse is for medical or hygenic purposes (or any other mistaken belief about the nature of the act induced by dishonest or deceptive means)
6. the other person knows that the victim does not consent to the act but continues regardless, or
7. If the victimhas sexual intercourse while substantially intoxicated by alcohol or any drugs, or
8. If the victim has sexual intercourse because they are scared, intimidated or threatened coercively, or
9. If the person has sexual intercourse because of the abuse of a position of authority or trust (for e.g. parent, teacher, employee, police officer, husband, boyfriend)
It is important to remember that:
1. The absense of physically resisting sexual intercourse DOES NOT mean that consent was freely given: A person who does not offer actual physical resistance to sexual intercourse is not, by reason only of that fact, to be regarded as consenting to the sexual intercourse!
2. CONSENT CAN BE WITHDRAWNat any time, it is the responsibility of the other person to respect your boundaries and change in feelings regarding sexual activity
3. Even if the accused person claimed to or claims to believe that you were consenting, THERE MUST BE REASONABLE GROUNDS FOR THATBELIEF THAT THE ACCUSED HAD REGARDING MISTAKEN BELIEF OF CONSENTfor e.g. wearing promiscuous clothing, looking at the accused, being a stripper or prostitute
those examples i gave above concerning the reasonable grounds for belief of consent (being a stripper or prostitute, looking at the accused, being dressed promiscuously) are examples of UNREASONABLE grounds for the belief of consent
I just saw that you changed it to unreasonable :)
Thank you for posting this I just want to clarify that even though a woman is dressing in a provocative matter does not give a reason for a perpetrator to attack her. A woman can walk outside with a short skirt and low top and that does not give a man the right to think she wants to have sex with him. Same thing goes for a stripper this is her job to undress but she is not giving consent for sex. Even a prostitute can be raped.