Students must learn about sex consent
An article published online on Nov. 20, regarding the topic “Yes means yes,” discusses the concerns on the issue being taught to younger students in sex education. Allowing students to be given the opportunity to learn about affirmative consent before entering college would be beneficial by supporting rape crime prevention.
Women in college are most likely to experience rape compared to any other period in their lifetime. In college, one in four women are victims of sexual assault.
Educating students about affirmative consent would help prevent students from questioning if the victim was at fault, after understanding that “Yes” is the only manner for sexual approval. Many misunderstandings about consensual sex leave victims feeling at fault.
People misunderstand consent by the idea that it can be given under several circumstances. “Yes” has to be granted by the other person and if not, it may be considered rape.
Giving students the opportunity to be educated that anything other than “yes” is strictly considered “no”, would allow students to enter college educated on defining a rape. If students continue to be educated on affirmative consent, they may avoid misunderstandings when dealing with rape.
Samantha Gonzalez, Fresno
This story was originally published December 3, 2015 at 8:08 AM with the headline "Students must learn about sex consent."