Selah // Something Witty

Consent is Mandatory.

Date: 03.14.17 -- Day 34 (Day 14 of the 30-Day Blogging Challenge - March Edition)
Music: N/A - Informational Video on Consent

Prompt: Talk Tuesday! - Define "consent".

Consent is a huge and extremely important topic.

Consent is something that is not talked about enough, imo. I'm at university. I worked at a community college. Issues of consent are prevalent in almost every sphere I walk through, yet it is one of the most difficult and frustrating conversations to have and to teach. The best and concise way of explaining it to others, one that I personally believe in, is that consent is necessary and mandatory. This means that whether it is a sexual situation or an exchange of items or matters of privacy (usually in shared living space), consent is required before doing something that involves another person or their property. This eliminates a lot of ambiguity that happens when someone tries to guess someone else's intentions.

Consent, as a general definition, means giving permission for something to happen. However, sexual consent and privacy are the two biggest issues that I face on a regular basis because consent seems to be a wonky concept. Stories where consent is violated that I often hear from fellow students is rooted in fear -- of being physically or mentally hurt if they do not submit to someone's demands for consent or that an attack is their fault because they were "leading someone on" or "showing signs" of permission. Peer pressure and emotional manipulation are also common tools used to inflict pain. Too often the onus is on the victim for what happened to them. This is never the case. Too often the attacker believes that so-called hints or signs gives them the right to do as they wish. This is absolutely not true. Consent should never be assumed. No one has the right to invade someone else's personal autonomy.

Sexual assault and rape in this country are staggering and must be stopped. It is crucial that we teach our communities that consent is a must. I believe we can begin stopping the prevalence of sexual assault by helping children to learn consent at an early age. Here are two articles about how to teach children about consent   and rape culture  . It is important to have these conversations early so that children will understand how to navigate situations that require consent pop up. But the key, at least for me, is simple -- consent is mandatory.