A woman on Twitter has explained sexual consent in the best way
- Posted by
- Harriet Hall
- Published
Sure, yes – we know – why are we still having to explain what consent means in this day and age?
The reason? The message doesn’t seem to be getting through to some people – because the rape statistics are still shockingly high, and rape culture prevails.
In England and Wales, approximately 85,000 women and 12,000 men are raped every year, and a devastating one in five women aged 16-59 has experienced some form of sexual violence.
Fed up of people talking about ‘blurred lines’ and ‘misunderstandings,’ one woman decided to put things in layman’s terms.
US-based Nafisa Ahmed, 22, took to Twitter to break things down, comparing sexual consent with theft.
Ahmed begins by explaining about rape while under the influence:
Rape as a result of threatening behaviour:
A person raping someone who previously had consensual sex with their friend:
Rape that someone is acquitted for:
Rape after having previously given consent:
Finally, Ahmed ended her Tweets by comparing the simplicity of the theft metaphor, to the clear simple reality of consent:
The Tweets were sparked following the news that a woman who accused actor and director, Nate Parker, of rape had committed suicide.
Parker was aquitted of the crime in a 2001 trial.
This is not the first explanation of consent of its type. Last year, a collective likened consent to making a cup of tea in an innovative video that highlighted the absurdity of ‘explanations’ people use.
Image: iStock
If you've been the victim of a rape, or know someone that has, contact Rape Crisis here for help, support and advice.