Calls for better sexual consent education

BENDIGO’S Centre for Non-Violence has said the Federal Government needs to rethink how consent is educated.

It comes after the Department of Education’s recent Respect Matters campaign likened milkshakes and tacos to sexual topics.

CEO of Centre for Non-Violence Margaret Augerinos said the campaign failed to incorporate any research and trivialises a very serious issue.

“It doesn’t appear to have any filter or input from experts in these matters to really help advise about the best ways to have conversations about consent, about violence and abuse,” she said.

“I think someone’s thought maybe if it’s a little bit funky and edgy it might appeal to young people, but it just appears to miss on all fronts.

“It seems quite strange that we’re being asked to somehow consider that consenting to eat a taco is equivalent to consent around sexual respect or sexual contact between young people.”

Ms Augerinos said a sexual consent campaign needs should mention the actual issues it focuses on.

“I think that young people really appreciate direct conversation, they’re very open to talking about these things and going about it in this way seems a little bit like we shouldn’t be talking about these things.”

She said the Federal Government needs to address the reality of sexual violence.

“We know that one in five Australian women have experienced sexual violence since the age of 15, we know that one in four women have experience sexual violence by a current or former intimate partner,” she said.

“Any campaign also needs to address the drivers behind violence and disrespect.”

Centre for Non-Violence offers services and programs that respond to and work to prevent family violence across the Loddon region.

Ms Augerinos said their services have become even more important since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic.

She said the centre received less calls during lockdowns, which lead to concerns about women’s’ safety.

“What we discovered pretty soon after was women were reporting much more insidious and coercive controlling tactics by men,” she said.

“The types of things they talked about was men talking about how they weren’t allowed to leave the house.”

The not-for-profit organisation partners with other family violence services across the region, forming the Loddon Gender Equality and Violence Prevention Consortium.

Ms Augerinos said the Consortium works together so each organisation is supported, and programs can be accessed across the whole of the region.

“We’ve been able to pool our resources and thinking to pull together a program that value adds to even the base level of funding,” she said.

“There’s a new therapeutic program that’s been rolled out across the region called Safe Thriving and Connected which delivers therapeutic services where people need it and how people need it.”

If you need to access Centre for Non-Violence’s services, contact 1800 884 292, or for 24-hour state-wide family violence crisis response contact 1800 015 188.