Mette Øyås Madsen, an award-winning Danish sexual health educator, and Oladele Ogunmayi, a lead trainer at No Means No Worldwide, discuss vital aspects of teaching consent in relationships. They highlight the need for clear communication and principles like 'FRIES'—freely given, reversible, informed, enthusiastic, and specific. Both guests share personal journeys that fuel their advocacy, emphasizing empowerment through education. Their insights provide a transformative perspective on fostering respectful relationships and combating harmful cultural norms.
Effective sexual education fosters open dialogue about consent, empowering individuals to navigate relationships and assert their rights.
Cultural norms often hinder conversations about consent, necessitating educator efforts to reshape perceptions and challenge societal misconceptions.
Deep dives
The Importance of Sexual Education
Sexual education plays a critical role in empowering individuals, particularly women, to understand their bodies and assert their rights. Educators like Mere Oyosmesen in Denmark focus on creating safe spaces for students to discuss their insecurities and curiosities regarding sexuality. This environment encourages open dialogue that counters myths and promotes informed decision-making about one’s body and relationships. By addressing these topics in a classroom setting, students can better navigate their sexual lives and ultimately contribute to a culture of consent and respect.
Understanding and Defining Consent
Consent is a nuanced concept that goes beyond simple permission; it involves clear communication and mutual agreement between all parties involved. The acronym FRIES, standing for Freely given, Reversible, Informed, Enthusiastic, and Specific, offers a framework for understanding what true consent entails. Educators emphasize that consent must be a continuous and enthusiastic agreement that can be withdrawn at any time, pushing back against societal misconceptions. Such clarity helps individuals recognize past experiences of abuse and empowers them to define their boundaries more effectively.
Challenging Cultural Norms Around Consent
Cultural expectations and societal norms often impede conversations about consent, leading to harmful biases and misunderstandings, particularly regarding women's attire and behavior. Educators like Oladele Ogunmai face resistance when discussing how a woman’s clothing does not imply consent to sexual advances. Through training sessions, these educators aim to reshape perceptions, emphasizing that consent is the responsibility of the individual perpetrating an act of violence, regardless of external factors. This effort to challenge and change narratives is crucial in striving for a more respectful and informed understanding of consent.
Datshiane Navanayagam hears from two women in Nigeria and Denmark to discuss how they teach consent as part of sex education.
Mette Øyås Madsen is an award-winning Danish sexual health educator and author. She has incorporated sexual education into the Danish folk high school system for the past ten years. Mette is passionate about promoting topics such as consent, sexuality and gender identity in both educational and workplace settings. She's written a book called Seksuel Dannelse (sexual education).
Oladele Ogunmayi from Nigeria is an advocate for youth empowerment, gender equality, and violence prevention. She has worked with organisations such as the Youth Empowerment and Development Initiative and the Women At Risk International Foundation, where she trained youths and women on critical issues including consent, HIV/AIDS prevention and gender-based violence. Oladele is now a Lead Trainer at No Means No Worldwide, a global rape prevention organisation whose mission is to end sexual violence against women and children.
This episode contains discussions of a sexual nature, including topics related to consent, sexual violence and trauma.