A new campaign by non-profit Right to Equality, in partnership with creative agency CPB London and actress and comedian Emily Atack, has called for the adoption of affirmative consent as a legal standard in England and Wales.
The campaign’s use of the slogan “I’m asking for it” received widespread criticism. It was labelled offensive by survivors of sexual violence, who pointed to the use of the phrase to blame women for their own sexual assault.
This has resulted in some re-messaging. Right to Equality has released further promotional images with different slogans, such as “only yes means yes”.
But the campaign’s aim remains the same: to change the law so that consent must be given through clear words or actions indicating permission to engage in sexual activity. In short, this change would aim to make a “yes” the proof of consent, rather than the absence of a “no”.
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Article originally appeared in The Conversation.
Photo by Giorgio Trovato on Unsplash
