Tuesday 07-12-2021 - 14:42

What does consent look like?

What is 16 Days of Activism? 

GCU and GCU Students’ Association are currently raising awareness of the 16 Days of Activism against Gender Based Violence (GBV). This is an annual international campaign that kicked off on November 25th, the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women, and will run until December 10th. You can look at the GCU Students’ Association website or our social media to find out what we’ve been doing to raise awareness so far, and what is planned for the rest of the week.

What is consent?

Consent is an agreement between participants to engage in sexual activity and should be clearly and freely communicated. A verbal and affirmative expression of consent can help both you and your partner to understand and respect each other’s boundaries. Consent means looking for the presence of a “yes” rather than the absence of a “no.”

Consent cannot be given by individuals who are underage, intoxicated or incapacitated by drugs or alcohol, or asleep or unconscious. If someone agrees to an activity under pressure of intimidation or threat, that isn’t considered consent because it was not given freely. 

How does consent work?

When you’re engaging in sexual activity, consent is about communication. Consenting to one activity, one time, does not mean someone gives consent for other activities or for the same activity on other occasions. For example, agreeing to kiss someone doesn’t give that person permission to remove your clothes. Having sex with someone in the past doesn’t give that person permission to have sex with you again in the future. It’s important to discuss boundaries and expectations with your partner prior to engaging in any sexual behaviour. You can also withdraw consent at any point if you feel uncomfortable. 

Help at GCU and GCU Students' Association

Glasgow Caledonian University and GCU Students’ Association have worked in partnership throughout the previous three years to develop projects which aim to respond to, and prevent gender-based violence in our society. GCU has team of trained First Responders who can support and advise survivors of gender based and sexual violence. Further information on support services at the University and through external organisations is available on GCU’s Student Wellbeing pages.

GCU also has a new Report and Support tool, which is an online reporting website for our students to submit a report about misconduct they have experienced on campus. You can choose whether to submit your name or anonymously on the site. 
For full information and to access the tool, visit the GCU Report and Support webpage.