The online petition, calling for sex education to cover consent at a younger age, reached the public eye at the same time former political staffer Brittany Higgins spoke out about her alleged rape by a colleague in a minister’s office in Parliament House. The stories have augmented each other.
From the halls of our federal Parliament through to the classrooms of our schools, this is surely the moment to say no more. We must as a society change the way we view and treat women.
Some will say this degrading behaviour has been going on for generations. And they are right – #metoo proved that. But that does not absolve us from trying to fix this problem.
We all bear responsibility but schools in particular are key to the repair. They can reach thousands of young men and women and shape their values at a time when they are starting to explore relationships and sex.
In NSW, the PD/Health/PE curriculum was revised in 2018 to explicitly include lessons in consent and respect for students from kindergarten to year 10. But it is up to schools to decide how much time and emphasis they give to different topics within the curriculum. This allows them to brush over a topic that can prove awkward and controversial.
Katrina Marson, a lead researcher at Rape and Sexual Assault Research and Advocacy, has called for a national curriculum on respect and consent. She says we can learn from countries that have done this well and the power to make significant change rests with governments, who can mandate a high quality program nationwide.
In light of the online petition, private school principals were at pains last week to point out to parents what they teach their students about consent, respect and making good decisions. Many acknowledged the need to do more and asked parents to sit down with their sons and daughters and talk about sex, respect and consent.
“A specific conversation about consent is probably one of the most awkward conversations you will have in your life,” Newington’s Parker said. “It will leave ‘Where did I come from?’ in the dust. It is also one of the most important.”
Men need to take the lead in changing this rusted-on culture. They must be brave enough to call out behaviour that is hurtful and disrespectful and strong enough to show younger generations what is right, to shepherd in a more respectful and kinder era of relations between women and men, girls and boys.
Loading
As Marson says, this dark culture “is everywhere: in universities, workplaces, online, in professional sports and in Hollywood. It is in our social lives. The culture does not stop at Year 12 graduation – these codes are carried into adulthood.”
And all of us must take responsibility – in our workplaces, among our friends, and with our own children. We need to work out how to make sure the sort of disturbing behaviour documented by the young Sydney women is no longer accepted, by any of us, at any stage of our lives.
Since the Herald was first published in 1831, the editorial team has believed it important to express a considered view on the issues of the day for readers, always putting the public interest first.
Most Viewed in National
Loading
