Hi there, everyone.

My name's Ms. Shaw.

I'm really pleased you're joining me today to focus on this lesson, which is about sexual consent and the law.

So this lesson will focus on the concept of consent and the law around sexual consent.

Also, how consent, including sexual and other kinds, can be communicated and withdrawn.

Now, this lesson does cover sensitive topics.

Therefore, we recommend checking with a trusted adult before starting or doing the lesson with a trusted adult nearby.

For this lesson, you are going to need an exercise book or some paper, and you're also going to need a pen and your brain for thinking.

So hopefully you've already completed your intro quiz.

First, we will look at what is meant by the term consent and the law surrounding it in the UK.

We'll then look at some myths and stereotypes that are associated with consent.

We'll look at how consent can be communicated and withdrawn, and then we'll look at the key learning points and you will complete your exit quiz.

So the keywords for today's lesson is that consent occurs when one person voluntarily agrees to the proposal or desires of another and has the capacity to do so.

The law relates to the system of rules created and enforced through social or governmental institutions to regulate behaviour, and we're focusing on this in the UK.

Withdrawal refers to the action of taking away or removing something.

So when we're talking about withdrawal of consent, it means taking away that consent and removing it.

In this first section, we're going to look into what is actually meant by sexual consent and the UK law relating to it.

So what do you think is meant by the term sexual consent? I'd like for you just to pause here for a few seconds and really consider this statement.

So here are some sexual consent facts.

Consent is defined under UK law by section 74 of the Sexual Offences Act 2003 and can only be given by people aged 16 or older.

Now, someone consents to sexual intercourse or vaginal, anal, or oral only if he or she agrees by choice to that penetration and has the freedom and capacity to make that choice.

So by that, we mean has the freedom, so they're not being forced to, they're not being made to do something, and they also have the capacity.

So they're not vulnerable or to a point where they're incapacitated, i.

e.

they've been drugged or they're too drunk, for example.

Sexual activity and consent for that can be given to one sort of sexual activity but may not be for another.

So it's important, if you're engaging in sexual activity, to make sure that you are getting consent at every point.

And consent can be withdrawn each time activity occurs and at any time during sexual activity.

So just because you've consented at one point doesn't mean that you have to all of the time, and if you've consented to something previously, it doesn't mean that you consent to doing it again.

So I'd like you to just to read the following statements and decide which one is false.

I'd like to pause while you read the slide and then return when you've made your choice.

So were you correct? Option one, boys and men don't get raped.

Actually, they do.

Boys, girls, man, woman, anybody of any age, gender, race, nationality, anybody can be raped.

Withdrawal of consent must always be respected and acted upon, so this is true, as is that it is common for rape cases to be unreported rather than falsified.

And people who are intoxicated, asleep, or otherwise impaired cannot give their consent no matter what.

On this slide, I'd like you to match the correct statements with the correct answers.

So pause here while you read through the slides and match the correct statements with the correct answers, and then return when you've finished.

So were you correct? It's fine because they didn't say no.

Well, no.

There are many ways for someone to not give their consent, not just saying no, and we're going to look at a few of these ways later on in the lesson.

I don't need to ask again, we've done it before.

Again, this is wrong.

Consent is still required each time, even if two people have had sex previously.

It was only oral, so it wasn't rape.

Well, giving oral sex without permission is against the law, and if a man forces it, it is classed as rape.

It's fine because we were both under 16.

Nope.

Whether consent is given or not, having sex, including oral sex under the age of 16, is illegal.

In this next section, we're going to look into reasons why people might be targeted for sexual assault and the myths and stereotypes relating to consent.

So which of the following reasons are ones why victims are targeted? So I'd like you to have a look and see which ones you think are the correct answers as to why people might be targeted.

I'd like you to pause the video and then return when you've made your choices.

So were you correct? Often, people are targeted because of ease of access, so if people are vulnerable or if they're in a situation where the perpetrator has access to be able to abuse them, then they'll take advantage of that.

There's an opportunity there.

If people are vulnerable, so if they're in situations where they're maybe not protected or if there's a reason why they may be a little more vulnerable than other people, that's also a reason why they might be targeted.

Isolating someone or if someone's on their own and there's more opportunity, again, is another reason, as is youth.

So the younger you are, the less likely you are to be able to fend it off or to understand that there's an issue in the first place.

It could be someone who is an ex-partner.

It could be that there's poor communication skills going on.

It could be because it's someone's chosen line of business.

And it is also because someone might be compromised due to drink or drugs.

It never is the victim's fault, and they never deserve it.

It's also not done by people who are trying to protect you and generally not done because someone is in financial difficulties.

Now we're going to look at addressing some myths and stereotypes.

So again, I'd like you to pause the slide here while you have a quick read through and choose which option you think is false.

So pause now and then resume when you've finished.

So did you get it correct? Hopefully you chose option three.

Being drunk does not mean that a person is asking to be assaulted.

It just means that they're in a more vulnerable state, so people are more likely to be able to take advantage of that situation.

But being drunk is never a reason for or an excuse for someone to say, "That's why that happened." You should not expect to be raped because you're wearing a particular style or type of clothing.

You're well within your rights to wear whatever you want without fear of abuse or harassment.

Many victims do not fight.

Instead, they freeze or disassociate or try to befriend the aggressor, which is just a response to try and get out of that situation in the first place and just a way of being able to deal with the situation and still come out of it unscathed.

In many rape cases, the victim and the perpetrator do know each other.

In this next section, we're going to look into how consent can be communicated and withdrawn and the potential consequences of not obtaining consent.

So I'd like you to think here, what are some of the ways that someone could show non-verbally, so not speaking, that they are not giving sexual consent? I'd like you to pause here and try and make a list of as many as you can think of and then return when you've done.

So how did your list compare with mine? So I put that some ways that people could show non-verbally that they're not giving sexual consent is perhaps if they don't want to be hugged or touched.

If somebody starts to pull away from the other person, that also, again, could be a sign that they're not really wanting you to do that.

If somebody stops kissing you or if they become unresponsive and they freeze, again, these are bodily signs that someone is not engaging and not wanting this behaviour to continue.

They might stop speaking or become very quiet, and they also might become nervous or frightened.

So these are all ways that you can try and pick up if someone is not consenting to a situation regarding sexual activity.

Now next, I want you to think about what some potential consequences of not obtaining sexual consent might be.

I'd like you to pause here and then make a list of suggestions and see how yours compares with mine.

So do that, and then return when you've finished.

How does your list compare with mine? Well, I found there were quite a few consequences, so I decided to break them up into categories.

So firstly, thinking from a legal aspect, being found guilty of rape or sexual assault could lead to a fine or a community order or a prison sentence, and you could potentially be added to the Sex Offenders Register also.

So if you think about how having a criminal record might impact on your future and your life events, things like getting a job in the future or going abroad and even potential relationships where you're going to have to tell people that you have a criminal record for this, is really going to impact on your life.

Now physically, sexually transmitted infections for both people or other future partners is a potential consequence, as is unwanted pregnancy.

You might have mental health problems relating to the trauma.

You could have physical injury or internal injury from it.

And emotionally, you could be embarrassed or fearful, humiliation, feeling low self-esteem.

You might then have problems forming new relationships.

You might be left feeling hurt and upset and then have problems trusting partners in the future.

So there's massive consequences relating to not obtaining sexual consent, which is why it is so important to make sure that you do.

So remember, it's very important to get consent for sexual activity every time you engage in it.

Not saying no does not mean that someone has given their consent, and there are many other ways of not consenting to something, so you need to make sure that you've gained consent every time that you engage in any sort of sexual activity.

There is a legal and ethical responsibility for you to look for the signs that a partner is or is not consenting, and you need to make sure that you keep on checking.

So the key learning from this lesson is that consent must be obtained each and every time you engage in sexual activity.

Every single action has consequences, whether they are positive or negative, and these may cause lasting damage to both the victim and the perpetrator.

Consent can be withdrawn at any time during sexual activity and each time that the activity occurs.

There is a legal responsibility to gain consent.

Now, what I would like you to do is to complete the exit quiz to check your understanding of the content of this lesson.

Very well done on completing the first lesson in this unit, and I look forward to seeing you again.

Bye for now.