QLD Will Introduce Consent Education to Kids As Young As 10 Thanks to Chanel Contos’ Petition

Trigger warning: this article discusses sexual assault and rape.

After a campaign that started all the way back in February, Chanel Contos has proved the difference that young voices can make after Queensland announced that they will be introducing explicit consent education to all schools at the end of the year.

The changes will be added to a revised version of the Respectful Relationships Education Program (RREP) after a review by Education Minister Grace Grace in March.

It analysed whether or not the RREP "adequately addresses issues of sexual consent and reporting in schools."

Chanel is a consent and women’s rights activist from Sydney that launched a petition in February calling for consent education to be included in all schools in Australia from a much younger age.

In late February, she posted a poll to her Instagram account asking her followers if they had experienced sexual assault, and after just a few hours had received over 300 responses to the poll, with a staggering 72 per cent of replies answering "yes."

This response prompted the start of her petition and has put immense pressure on governments and educators to reconsider the way we teach young Aussies about consent and sex.

The push for the change has also been reinforced by the numerous sexual assault and harassment allegations occurring in Australian politics and education this year. In March, women all over the country gathered together to protest violence and sexual assault against women, members of the LGBTQIA+ community and people of colour, and just last week Australian women in politics called for a code of conduct in parliament.

With the issue gaining so much attention in 2021, the government and law enforcement have tried to introduce other methods of sexual assault prevention like their milkshake consent video or suggestions for a 'consent app,' but due to some mixed messages, they did not go down well.

On a more positive note, since Chanel launched her petition, all Victorian state schools have introduced mandatory consent education, the NSW government adopted the affirmative consent model, and the Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority (ACARA) released a set of recommendations to teach primary school students about consent, setting boundaries, autonomy, gender and identity.

Chanel also collaborated with the NSW police to release a safe and secure sexual assault complaint service called Operation Vest.

Now with Queensland schools also doing their bit, it really goes to show the huge changes Chanel and her young supporters have managed to achieve.

Ms Grace told the ABC that she sought out the views of young people from her Student Advisory Council to make the decision for the change.

"Their message to me was that they'd like more explicit, age-appropriate education on consent and the reporting of sexual assault," Ms Grace told the publication.

"They also said this needs to start earlier. These needs will be reflected in the strengthened RREP.

"What we've found from consultation is that there's a strong need to build and promote a culture within schools that encourages people to seek help."

According to the ABC, the updates to the RREP will not just include more explicit information on consent, but also adequate training and resources for teachers.

So, the new program will give students the opportunity to learn about consent and sex ed, but it will also allow students to make school a safe and professional place to report instances of sexual assault and rape if they need to.

“As individual schools are best placed to provide programs, it is highly recommended that every school—state and non-state—have whole school processes and mechanisms in place for their students to voice their concerns in a safe and supportive environment,” a spokesperson from the Education Department told the ABC.

“Additional information will be provided to parents/carers and students about what is being taught in schools, where to go to make a report of sexual assault, and what happens to these reports after they have been made.”

The news of the changes in Queensland are being welcomed by community respect programs as they echo the need for consent education to start at a younger age.

Changes to the RREP will be officially released by the end of the year, with plans for it to be implemented into schools from pre-primary all the way up to Year 10.

Header Image: Instagram (@chanelc) and NeONBRAND via Unsplash