Consent happens when all people involved in any kind of sexual activity agree to take part by choice. They also need to have the freedom and capacity to make that choice. Consent is required for all sexual activity both in and outside of relationships and non-consensual sexual activity is an offence and against the law.
If you choose to be sexually active please it is your responsibilty to ensure all activity is consensual and also understand every person has the right to say no at any time - including changing their mind. We all have the right to not want sex or any other sexual activity (kissing, sexual touching, performing a sexual act) and many people chose not to engage in sexual activity at all. You must respect their choice.
Consent involves asking every time. If someone has consented before it does not automatically mean they want to have sex with you again, regardless of whether you are in a relationship with that person. We also all have the right to change our minds at any time, or to consent to one sexual activity with someone but not another type of sexual activity.
Without consent, any kind of sexual activity is sexual violence.
If people are in situations where they are unable to give their consent, for example if they are sleeping, unconscious or intoxicated any sexual activity with that person could be deemed as sexual assault as the other person is unable to give their consent.
Many of the myths surrounding consent and sexual violence can make victims and survivors feel as though they are somehow to blame. It can also make them feel that what happened to them wasn’t ‘real’ sexual violence. This is not the case - if a person doesn't consent to sexual activity then this is classed as sexual violence and all of the responsibility and blame sits with the perpetrator(s).
Content warning – discussion of consent
At Royal Holloway we are committed to supporting positive cultural change within our community to ensure a safe and supportive environment for you This includes communicating our values and expectations of equality, diversity & inclusivity, a commitment to developing awareness and conversations about issues such as consent and encouraging everyone to be an active bystander by calling out poor behaviour if you see it.
This year we are expanding our support by asking all of you to engage with the Consent Matters online course that will develop your understanding of the importance of sexual consent and how you can use this knowledge to promote positive cultural change in our university community. The interactive course consist of three modules – Thinking about Consent, Communication Skills and Relationships and Looking out for Others – which will empower you to have confidence in understanding boundaries, respect ands positive intervention.
We understand these topics can be challenging to engage with. If you’d like to discuss your response to these topics or related concerns please contact our Wellbeing Advisers at wellbeing@royalholloway.ac.uk.
How to register and complete the course:
- In the field ‘Token (optional) enter the following token: dcadc13b. This is required not optional.
- Activate your account via link sent the account activation email (which will be sent to the email you registered with). Do check your SPAM / junk mail folder if it doesn’t arrive. You can also have the activation email resent through this link.
- Log in – when you’ve activated your account you log in using your chosen username and password combination and the Consent Matters course will be available in the My Courses screen.
The following information pages will help your understanding of the importance of consent. It also provides details of support for anyone who has been involved in sexual harm.