Saskatoon Sexual Assault & Information Centre

Main Office
306-244-2294
24-Hour Crisis Line

306-244-2224

Emergency-Exit

Hide your tracks

Safe Space
MENUMENU
  • Home
  • Get Help
        • I Was Recently Sexually Assaulted
        • Forensic Medical Exams
        • Reporting to Police
        • Community Resources
        • If You Suspect or Know a Child is Being Sexually Abused
  • Client Services
        • Counselling
        • Open Group
        • Closed Groups
        • Virtual Group Sessions
        • Trauma-Informed Virtual Yoga
        • 24-Hour Crisis Line
  • Public Education
        • “I’m the Boss of Me”
        • Supporting Survivors of Sexualized Violence Training
        • Online Learning Workshop Series
  • Learning & Resources
        • Learning
          • Sexualized Violence 101: What is Sexualized Violence?
          • Sexualized Violence 102: What is Rape Culture?
          • Sexualized Violence 103: Debunking Rape Myths
          • The Effects of Sexualized Violence
          • Consent
          • Triggers: What Are They?
          • Grooming
        • Resources
          • Survivor’s Toolkit
          • Pamphlets & Resources
          • Drugs, Alcohol & Sexual Assault
          • Supporting a Survivor of Sexualized Violence
          • Adult Survivors of Childhood Sexual Abuse
          • Male Survivors of Sexualized Violence
          • Sexualized Violence & the LGBTQ2S Community
  • Donate
  • About Us
        • Staff & Board of Directors
        • Funding Partners
        • Pronouns
        • Annual Reports
        • Contact Us
          • Media Room
  • Ways to Give
        • Become an SSAIC Ally
        • Events
        • Shop
        • Careers
        • Volunteer
        • Newsletter Archive
        • Ways to Donate to SSAIC
  • COVID 19
  • Blog
You are here: Home / Blog / Consent 101 – The Basics

April 12, 2019 by Megan Evans

Consent 101 – The Basics

 

Written By Stephanie Locke, SSAIC Counsellor, MSW/RSW

 

Everyone is talking about it, but what exactly is consent?

Con•sent /kƏn’sent/

  1. (noun) permission for something to happen or agreement to do something
  2. (verb) give permission for something to happen or to agree to do something¹

Consent is agreement or approval for something proposed by another person. ‘Person A’ asks for what they want, and ‘Person B’ willingly gives permission for it to happen. Easy right? But there’s more. When it comes to sex, consent is a conversation that takes place before, during, and after any sexual activity.

 

Did you know that consent is an essential element of sex?

 The Criminal Code of Canada defines consent as “the voluntary agreement of the complainant to engage in the sexual activity in question” and without consent, a sexual offence has taken place.

According to the Canadian Criminal Code, consent CANNOT be given under the following conditions:

  • The “yes” is provided by someone else
  • Sex is obtained through an abuse of power, trust, or authority
  • One person does not say “yes” or says or implies “no” through words or actions
  • One of the partners has changed their mind
  • One person is unable to give consent (unconscious, sleeping, or intoxicated)²

Cartoon by Kirkham, A. (2015).

The consent conversation is an ongoing dialogue between people who are sexually active with each other. It’s a two-part process that involves ‘Person A’ obtaining consent and ‘Person B’ providing consent. Our next post will discuss specific tips for obtaining and providing enthusiastic consent, so stay tuned. Consent is often talked about in terms of “enthusiasm” because it’s important that the person giving consent does so willingly and passionately. Consent that is not given in earnest is moving down a slippery slope toward coercion.

Here are some facts and myths about consent that might help clear up any questions:

  • Fact: The definition of consent is about agreement and permission. Ultimately consent is about saying “yes”. It’s about making sure that your partner is a willing participant in whatever sexual activity you take part in.

            Myth: Consent is all about saying “no”.

  • Fact: It is the responsibility of the person who is seeking to engage in a specific sexual activity to obtain consent before moving on to that activity, regardless of their sex or gender. Consent isn’t a heteronormative concept; it applies to all people, all genders, all sexualities.

            Myth: It’s a man’s job to get consent from a woman.

  • Fact: Consent is an ongoing conversation. Permission is required before moving to a different sexual act, whether that’s kissing, feeling, penetration, or otherwise. Permission is also required each time you want to engage in that act again. Permission once isn’t permission forever.

            Myth: You only have to ask once.

  • Fact: Sexual assault will definitely “ruin the mood”. In fact, consider that if asking for consent will “ruin the mood”, you may be the only person IN the mood to begin with.

            Myth: Asking for consent might ruin the ‘mood’.

 

Finally, if you’re feeling iffy about all of this consent business, consider this:

If you can’t talk to your partner about sex, should you even being doing it with them in the first place?

 

References

  1. Google Dictionary. (2018). Consent.
  2. Government of Canada. (2019). Justice Laws Website.

Filed Under: Blog, Education and Resources, General Information Tagged With: consent, consent myths and facts, definition of consent, how do i know if i have consent, sexual consent, what does consent mean

Saskatoon Sexual Assault & Information Centre

SSAIC is a Saskatoon-based, non-profit, charitable organization dedicated to taking a leadership role in responding to sexualized violence in our community.

SSAIC acknowledges that we operate on Treaty 6 Territory and the Homeland of the Métis. We pay our respects to the First Nations and Métis ancestors of this place.

201 - 506 25th Street East
Saskatoon, SK S7K 4A7

Connect With Us

Facebook Instagram

Subscribe to our Newsletter

Latest news

Copyright © 2021 · Sitemap · Log in

X
Help SSAIC support survivors of sexual violence.
Donate Now!