SA schools review sex education about consent as national petition builds momentum

Thousands of ex-school students have told a national campaign about sex assault and being forced into unwanted acts, including in SA.

Former Sydney student Chanel Contos initiated the online petition to improve sex and consent education in schools across Australia.

Thousands of disturbing accounts by young women of sexual abuse and unwanted encounters during their school years are creating momentum for major change.

South Australian public and private schools have been included in published testimonies exposing widespread problems.

One SA woman said there was “blatant misunderstanding” of consent with several boys forcefully continuing with sex when she told them to stop. This included a boy ignoring her pleas as she cried from pain.

The SA Education Department and individual schools are reviewing their sex education policies, some driven by an online petition linked to the testimonies which calls for earlier teaching about consent.

“The testimonies in the online petition are enormously distressing and upsetting to us all,” the principal of a prominent Adelaide private school said.

“We have strong programs in place across our curriculum, aimed at educating our boys about respectful relationships.

“Having said that, in light of the powerful comments on the petition, we are reviewing these programs; it is clear that much more needs to be done by schools, families and the broader community in this important area.”

The petition and site to lodge testimonies was initiated by former Sydney private school student Chanel Contos who wanted young women in future not to be subjected to the abuse and trauma inflicted on her and her friends.

There are now more than 2000 testimonies, most from NSW and Victoria, and nearly 30,000 signatures of support.

The testimonies include numerous allegations of sexual assault and recurrent themes of young women forced into unwanted sexual encounters.

The principal of another Adelaide private school said the SA woman had shown great courage to publish her experiences.

“This is a serious matter and her account shows that lack of consent has been a problem for some time,” she said.

“I do believe that schools have a role to play in educating young people about consent, and the sooner we speak openly about this, the better.

“Consent is a matter that should be discussed in school settings but also more broadly in society.”

This view was supported by the principal of a leading public school who said regular reviews considered new information and community feedback.

“We will be seeking to promote the importance of consent and boundaries in our current sex and life education programs to empower our students to respect themselves and their partners,” she said.

“Unfortunately this issue is not new, and it needs to be addressed more widely beyond schools.

“Parents also have an important part to play in supporting and educating their teenagers to ensure they have a clear understanding of what consent is and its implications.”

The Education Department is already reviewing its policies with an intention to expand guidelines about the prevention of concerning and harmful sexual behaviours, a spokesman said.

“In late 2020, the department provided training for over 500 student wellbeing leaders and specialist support staff about preventing, identifying and responding to the sexual behaviours of children and young people in education and care settings,” he said.

“The department is committed to making training available to all educators in government schools.”

The department’s executive director of curriculum and learning, Susan Cameron, said building an understanding of consent began from the age of three and continued to Year 12.

“It starts with teaching small children about relationships and their body as well as helping them to understand concepts like privacy, rights and saying no,” she said.

“A specific focus on informed consent in relation to sexual activity occurs more formally in year 9 and is expanded in year 10.”

In September last year, the department released new curriculum resources for Years 9 and 10 which include investigating rights and responsibilities in physical and online relationships such as balance of power and consent, empathy and ethical decision making.

Now studying in London, Ms Contos is gathering a group to put pressure on MPs around the nation for significant reform.

She wants education to swing around from teaching protective behaviour to the focus being on stopping potential predators in the first place.

For example, she says when teaching about risky activity such as drinking and taking drugs the message shouldn’t only be about women becoming more vulnerable when drunk or drugged but about perpetrators being more likely to offend.