Molly Farrell, creator of Matters of Consent, a campaign and fundraiser to create consent lessons
Consent is a feminist issue. Sexual violence overwhelmingly affects women and people of minority genders (1 in 3 women worldwide according to WHO in 2017), a reality even more confronting for people of colour. I don’t identify as a woman, but our current historical moment in the Global North is structured in such a way that I’m not visible as nonbinary. As a feminist, and as a person assigned female at birth, I identify with my material history of being brought up, perceived as, and oppressed as a woman – something I don’t have to look far back to find examples of.
I am a survivor, multiply. I have lived with the trauma of reporting an assault, of navigating a crumbling criminal justice system, but my focus is now on the teaching and practice of consent. For this International Women’s Day, you will find me planning creative workshops with other survivors in my neighbourhood of Govanhill, collaborating on research about different intersecting issues, and drafting teaching materials for S1-S3 levels in Scottish schools.
Sexual consent is not routinely taught in UK schools. A better understanding of consent encourages active communication, respectful boundary-making, and a thoughtful approach to interactions with peers. In teaching children to care for themselves, to respect their own bodily integrity and personal autonomy, we cannot forget to teach them that – for a successful society - this care must be interdependent, it must extend to how we approach and relate to others.
As a survivor, my experiences will have changed me, forever. But my history can be used to inform a vision of better futures with better systems of education. Last month, Australia became the first country to pass a law enforcing universal consent education within schools. Scotland is a world leader in so many issues - may this be one of them.
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