I believe one important place to start is with education. Sex education should be a mandatory part of every child’s education beginning around puberty and it shouldn’t stop there. It should continue throughout college and be reinforced when couples enter marriage and other long-term partnerships.
Too many children are learning about their bodies, sex, relationships and consent from the internet, pornography, movies and social media rather than from responsible, age-appropriate education.
And I don’t believe we will create lasting change through punishment alone. Accountability matters, but we also have to address the root causes.
We have to teach people to understand consent. We have to teach that your body belongs to you, not anyone else, EVER. We have to challenge the beliefs that devalue women and normalize entitlement to another person’s body. And we have to create a culture where consent is understood as an ongoing, mutual choice, not something that can be assumed because of a relationship, marriage or past sexual experience.
This is bigger than preventing sexual assault. It’s about raising human beings who understand bodily autonomy, respect, responsibility and what it means to truly honor one another.
What do you think we need to change in how we educate the next generation about sex, consent and relationships?
16 days agokeigancullen
👏👏👏 1 in 4 women and 1 in 6 men are sexually abused before the age of 18, and those are both likely underestimates. It’s entirely too common for us NOT to be talking about it. We often don’t discuss themes of consent until after teens are sexually active (if at all), and by then it’s too late. IMO it starts in childhood, parents need to respect their own children’s autonomy and bodies and transfer that knowledge and importance to them.
16 days agojinezhka
This looks like a lovely read. I’d be happy to share it with my audience—send the post to @theauthorslife if interested.
17 days agotheupsidedown360
My birth giver & home raiser/authority figure are the reason this question haunts me. I had to have a permission slip signed in middle school in order to participate in the sex ed program at school. To which my parents denied and I had to sit out in the hall for that class, then soon afterwards I was assaulted at 12 yo because of that permission slip required a signature and I was to be taught a lesson I still can never understand. Idk what the program was like back in the 90s cause I was in the hall…but I wish I knew at the time what consent was & where I could find help if it was being violated. I’m scared for the younger me and scared for the future because the world is not providing enough education about this subject. I was not protected and I know so many are out there unprotected as well & My heart aches…
17 days agosandelpat
As the mother of a son, I think it begins at home with teaching boys respect for women, our bodies and our rights. I want to believe that if boys are taught to respect women they are less likely to participate in abusive behavior against women. I'd be interesting in seeing the research on this...
17 days agoemaddeluca
It is terrifying how much pornography and social media are shaping the views of the younger generation. We absolutely must step in with age-appropriate education at home!
17 days agookyyytorress
Your words resonate deeply because early education truly sets the foundation for respect
17 days agoagusbessoun
Children deserve to learn about their bodies from safe and responsible resources!
17 days agotheworldofcatayt
The emphasis on ongoing mutual choice within marriage or relationships is so vital
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