Norfolk charity calls for schools to promote healthy conversations around sexual consent
It's after a survey by the Sue Lambert Trust found that 85% of those asked believe we don't discuss the issue openly and directly enough
A charity in Norfolk is calling for schools to promote more healthy conversations around sexual consent
It's after a survey by the Sue Lambert Trust found that 85% of those asked believe we don't discuss the issue openly and directly enough
"You have every right to say, let's stop"
Clive Evans is their CEO:
"Sex education in schools has progressed- certainly from when I was at school it was a biology lesson. Now, it's talking about relationships, the importance of respecting each other and our boundaries
"No means no and yes means yes- there's no grey areas in that. People can change their minds as well. If you are engaging in an activity and it gets uncomfortable, you have every right to say, let's stop"
"We see around 250 people a week, who we support and there's people on our waiting list because the consequences of sexual abuse and violence are far reaching
What else did the survey show?
It carried out online, anonymously and received 357 responses. 300 of these being from people in Norfolk.
Survey participants were also asked if they had ever experienced a non-consensual sexual act which could have been considered sexual assault, with 73% answering ‘yes’.
Of those people, they were then asked if, at the time of the incident, they believed they had been the victim of a sexual assault. Only 25% said yes.
• almost a quarter (24%) believed what happened to them was partly their fault.
• 23% said that at the time they believed they had not been assaulted.
• 20% said they were confused.
The survey also asked if those people, with the benefit of hindsight, feel differently about the experience now. 63% answered ‘yes’.
“Tragically, almost three quarters (74%) of those people who told us they had been the victim of a sexual assault in their past did not tell anyone about it at the time,” says Clive Evans.
“One woman told us that ‘it was the ‘70s – it happened a lot – that was the culture we grew up in’ whilst many others said that they didn’t feel they would be believed.”
As part of the survey, respondents were asked to what extent they agreed with a range of statements around the subject of sexual consent.
• Five people (1.4%) agreed that if someone doesn’t say ‘no’ then it isn’t sexual assault/rape.
• 15 people (4.2%) agreed that if a sexual partner has consented to a sexual act before, they don’t need to give consent again.
• Two people (0.56%) disagreed that consent can be withdrawn at any time, even once a sexual act is underway.
• Two people (0.56%) agreed that non-consensual sex within a long-term relationship does not count as sexual assault or rape.