Only yes means yes: Affirmative consent and the law
Despite UK law saying that both people need to give their consent to sex, the public isn’t always clear about what consent means.
This murkiness shows up in court too, where the notion of implied consent – making an assumption based on someone’s behaviour – is accepted. Victims often have to battle bias and prejudice as they try to prove they did not consent, which can be particularly difficult when they do not verbalise the word "no".
, a non-profit organisation committed to championing gender equality under the law, believes a clear "yes" to sex should be the legal standard for consent. In March, in partnership with creative agency and actress Emily Atack, they launched a campaign advocating to enshrine affirmative consent in UK law.
In this event at the Intellectual Forum, barristers Stephanie Hayward and Right to Equality founder Dr Charlotte Proudman will delve into the current deficiencies within the Sexual Offences Act 2003 and consider what a legal shift to affirmed consent might mean for survivors of sexual assault.
Unfortunately, we have had to postpone this event due to an unexpected scheduling conflict. We hope to rearrange this event for a later date.
