Consent in Everyday Life

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Consent is an important aspect of comprehensive sexual health education (CSHE) and a key component in preventing perpetration of sexual violence. We know that 1 in 4 girls and 1 in 13 boys experience sexual abuse at some point in their childhood, and transgender and gender expansive youth experience higher rates of abuse and harassment compared to their cisgender peers. Providing young people with accurate, culturally and linguistically responsive, developmentally appropriate information through CSHE is one of the most powerful ways we can work towards decreasing rates of perpetration while increasing access to resources and support. 

Although the concept of consent is often associated with sex, we can begin teaching young people about consent from a very young age, long before conversations about sex are taking place. By practicing consent in non-sexual situations in everyday life, we can build relationships rooted in choice, respect, and autonomy at every age. 

For example, we can engage with young children by creating opportunities for them to make choices about their body, such as their clothing (“Would you like to put your coat or your shoes on first?”) or what they eat for snack (“Here are your choices. Which one would you like?”).  As they grow, we can use behaviors like touching or hugging to introduce concepts about setting and respecting boundaries. When developmentally appropriate, consent can be introduced as an important aspect of sexual activity, with an emphasis on affirmative consent, reproductive justice, and an analysis of power. When we begin teaching consent at a young age, students are better equipped to apply consent-based concepts and practices to sexual behaviors. 

Check out the resources linked above and below to discover more ways you can teach about and practice consent in everyday life.  

Additional Resources on Consent: 

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