The Aberdeen Law Project and Police Scotland were invited to present two workshops to raise awareness on issues relating to consent on 20 and 22 September.

The workshops were developed in collaboration with Police Scotland and explained the basics of consent, how to report an incident and the support that the police can provide.

Why is talking about sexual consent so important?

Jacob Rennie, project member, said: “The laws under the Sexual Offences (Scotland) Act 2009 detail several different sexual offences - sexual assault, sexual assault by penetration, sexual coercion and rape. The lack of awareness of the different offences and how they work in intimate situations can lead to a misunderstanding about consent.

“Anyone can experience a situation where they or their partner does not consent. According to the Office for National Statistics, in Scotland, 20% of women and 4% of men have been a victim of sexual assault since the age of 16. More than 13,500 sexual offences were reported in Scotland between 2018/19 alone.

How can we improve consent education?

Taylor May, project lead, said: “Talking about consent – what it is and what it isn’t – is the crucial starting point. Once a dialogue has started, consent education can be built upon. Starting to address consent at a young age allows children to fully grasp the concept of consent by the time it is really needed. It is an issue that affects all members of the community irrespective of age or gender and prevention through educating, informing, and engaging the community is really important.”

How is the issue of sexual offences being tackled outside the university?

Ellie Maclean, project member, said: “Police Scotland have recently launched their new ‘Don’t be that guy’ campaign – a campaign focused on male sexual entitlement, the stories of sexual assault survivors and relationships between men and women.

“Prevention through consent education is just as important as accessibility of support. In the consent workshops, Police Scotland explained the reporting system and the process to go through it you believe an offence has taken place.”

If you are interested in our workshops on consent, please contact us at general@abdnlawproject.com.

ALP is grateful for continuing financial support from the University of Aberdeen Development Trust.