Consent:
Sexual consent is an ongoing process and means agreeing to engage in sexual activity by choice, with the freedom and capacity to make that choice, and without being pressured or manipulated.
The understanding of consent can be influenced by many things, such as personal experiences and cultural values & expectations. That said, the understanding of consent should, as a minimum, follow UK law and, in the context of our university environment. In each UK nation, the age at which people can legally consent to sexual activity (also known as the age of consent) is 16 years old. This is the same regardless of the person's gender identity, sexual identity and whether the sexual activity is between people of the same or different gender.
Everyone involved in sexual activity should be consenting at all times, and nobody should feel pressured into doing anything they're uncomfortable with or don't want to do. Giving consent to one activity doesn't mean you've agreed to everything else, and just because you've consented once doesn't mean you've consented every time. It's always okay to say no or to stop at any point - consent can be withdrawn at any time, and that choice must be respected.
Engaging in a sexual act without the consent of everyone involved is a sexual offence - it may be rape, sexual assault, assault by penetration, or sexual harassment. Unwanted and unlawful sexual activity can also include kissing, sexual touching, as well as non-physical contact such as forcing someone to watch pornography or sexually explicit material.
To consent to taking part in a sexual activity, including consent in the context of enjoying pornography and rough sex, an individual needs to have choice, freedom and capacity
Student Union Campaign
The University of Lancashire's Students' Union have recently run a campaign promoting the importance of consent and a healthy attitude to sex, helping to educate our university community about the importance of it.
Their 'Consent is Sexy - Get Explicit!' campaign aims to spark meaningful conversations, break the stigma around sex and ensure Consent and Healthy Relationships are a topic that is part of student life. Consent is not something we should be afraid of.
University of Lancashire's Student Union, Consent is Sexy campaign QR code
University of Lancashire's Student Union, Consent is Sexy campaign.