What is consent?

Consent is defined as agreeing and giving permission to interact with another person in any way that would impact on their and your personal boundaries. Consent can never be assumed, even in a relationship or marriage. This is not exclusive to sexual consent and could include, instigating a hug, or a kiss.

A clear “yes”, smiles, responsiveness, reciprocity of affection, “Yes, please”, “Keep going”, etc all indicate consent. Conversely: “no”, silence, stillness and rigidity, no eye contact, flinching, phrases like “I am not sure”, “I don’t like that”, “Please stop” imply that consent is vanishing, or it’s not present at all.

Someone who has been threatened, blackmailed or coerced is not free to consent.

Consent can be withdrawn at any point if one of the parties changes their mind or feels uncomfortable. Crucially, consent to one action is not consent to all actions, so if you want to try something new make sure you get consent.

All people in a sexual situation must feel that they are able to say "yes" or "no" or stop the sexual activity at any point. Someone who is unconscious, asleep or unable to communicate cannot give consent. Equally, alcohol and drugs can significantly impact on someone’s capacity to understand what is happening around them and consent.

If you are ever in any doubt about having someone’s consent, you should stop and ask if they are alright.

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