Right: Generational change? Many current and future voters are pressuring political parties for change beyond the format of mere 'sex education' in schools.
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Background information
The information printed below is a condensed version of the content of two Wikipedia entries 'Sexual Consent' and 'Sex education'. The complete texts can be found at
and Sexual consent
Sexual consent is consent to engage in sexual activity. Sexual activity without consent is considered rape or other sexual assault. In the late 1980s, academic Lois Pineau argued that society must move towards a more communicative model of sexuality so that consent becomes more explicit and clearer, objective and layered, with a more comprehensive model than 'no means no' or 'yes means yes'. Many universities have instituted campaigns about consent. Creative campaigns with attention-grabbing slogans and images that market consent can be effective tools to raise awareness of campus sexual assault and related issues.
In Canada 'consent means...the voluntary agreement of the complainant to engage in sexual activity' without abuse or exploitation of 'trust, power, or authority', coercion or threats. Consent can also be revoked at any moment.
Since the late 1990s, it has been stressed that consent should be 'free verbal or nonverbal communication of a feeling of willingness to engage in sexual activity.' Affirmative consent may still be limited since the underlying, individual circumstances surrounding the consent cannot always be acknowledged in the 'yes means yes', or in the 'no means no', model.
Sexual consent and the law
Definitions surrounding consent and how it should be communicated have been contradictory, limited or without consensus. Dr James Roffee, a senior lecturer in criminology in the Monash University School of Social Sciences, argues that legal definition needs to be universal, to avoid confusion in legal decisions. 2021 Australian of the Year and sexual relations reform advocate, Grace Tame, is currently campaigning for an Australia-wide definition of consent.
Currently, different Australian states have different legal definitions. In Canada, implied consent has not been a defence for sexual assault since the 1999 Supreme Court of Canada case of R v Ewanchuk, where the court unanimously ruled that consent must be explicit, instead of merely 'implied'. In the United States, the defense may have a chance to convince the court that consent was in some way implied by the victim. 'Implied' consent can be a legal defence in United States jurisdictions. In the United States, many actions can be perceived by the court as implied consent: having a previous relationship with the alleged rapist (e.g., befriending, dating, cohabitating, or marrying), consenting to sexual contact on previous occasions, flirting, or wearing 'provocative' clothing. Internationally, children or minors below a certain age (the legal age of sexual consent in that jurisdiction) are deemed not able to give valid consent by law to sexual acts. The age of consent is the age below which a minor is legally incompetent to consent to sexual acts. Consequently, an adult who engages in sexual activity with a minor younger than the age of consent cannot claim that the sexual activity was consensual, and such sexual activity may be considered statutory rape.Sex education
Sex education is instruction in issues relating to human sexuality, including emotional relations and responsibilities, human sexual anatomy, sexual activity, sexual reproduction, age of consent, reproductive health, reproductive rights, safe sex, birth control and sexual abstinence. The ways consent to sexual relations may be given can also form part of sex education. Sex education that covers all these aspects is known as comprehensive sex education. Sex education may be provided by parents or caregivers, or as part of at school programs and public health campaigns.
Traditionally, the discussion of all sexual issues was considered taboo, and adolescents in many cultures were not given any information on sexual matters. Such instruction, as was given, was traditionally left to a child's parents, and often this was put off until just before their marriage. However, in the late 19th century, the progressive education movement led to the introduction of sex education as 'social hygiene' in North American school curricula and the introduction of school-based sex education.
Despite early inroads of school-based sex education, most of the information on sexual matters in the mid-20th century was obtained informally from friends and the media, and much of this information was deficient or of dubious value, especially during the period following puberty, when curiosity about sexual matters was the most acute. This deficiency was heightened by the increasing incidence of teenage pregnancies, particularly in Western countries after the 1960s. As part of each country's efforts to reduce such pregnancies, programs of sex education were introduced, initially over strong opposition from parent and religious groups.
The outbreak of AIDS in the 1980s has given a new sense of urgency to sex education. In many African countries, where AIDS is at epidemic levels, sex education is seen by most scientists as a vital public health strategy. Some international organizations such as Planned Parenthood consider that broad sex education programs have global benefits, such as controlling the risk of overpopulation and the advancement of women's rights. The use of mass media campaigns has sometimes resulted in high levels of 'awareness' coupled with essentially superficial knowledge of HIV transmission.
Effectiveness of sex education
Evidence shows that a combination of comprehensive sex education and access to birth control appears to decrease the rates of unintended pregnancies among teenagers. A meta-analysis that compared comprehensive sex education programs with abstinence-only programs found that abstinence-only programs did not reduce the likelihood of pregnancy, but rather may have increased it. Numerous studies show that curricula providing accurate information about condoms and contraception can lead to reductions in the risky behaviors reported by young people as well as reductions in unintended pregnancies and STIs. Programs that teach only abstinence have not been shown to be effective.
According to the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) , 'A 2010 review found that "gender-focused" curricula - meaning curricula that integrate gender equality into the learning material - were substantially more effective in reducing risky behaviors than programs that did not consider gender.' Research has also shown that delay in sexual initiation, use of condoms and practice contraception has been a result of young people adopting egalitarian attitudes about gender roles. These individuals were also found to be less likely engaged in violent relationships and have a lower rate of STIs including HIV and unintended pregnancy.
Improvements in sex education
An article published in the British Medical Journal in2002 stated that 'Few sexual health interventions are designed with input from adolescents. Adolescents have suggested that sex education should be more positive with less emphasis on anatomy and scare tactics; it should focus on negotiation skills in sexual relationships and communication; and details of sexual health clinics should be advertised in areas that adolescents frequent (for example, school toilets, shopping centres).'
The UNFPA recommends comprehensive sexuality education that 'is taught over several years, introducing age-appropriate information consistent with the evolving capacities of young people. It includes scientifically accurate, curriculum-based information about human development, anatomy and pregnancy. It also includes information about contraception and sexually transmitted infections (STIs), including HIV. And it goes beyond information, to encourage confidence and improved communication skills. Curricula should also address the social issues surrounding sexuality and reproduction, including cultural norms, family life and interpersonal relationships.' The explicit inclusion of consent education is now widely recommended as part of this process.