‘We can, through education, drive rates of sexual offending down’

As the issue of sexual violence dominates public debate across the nation, with allegations of sexual assault, harassment and misconduct spanning the corridors of power in Canberra, workplaces, schools and teenage parties, calls for action have inevitably landed on the education system: Are schools doing enough to teach young people about respect and consent? It’s not the entire answer but schools. [...] “You can try to offer victims a sense of autonomy in the justice process, you can try to offer them a sense of closure, and give them an opportunity to use their voice, but you can never reach back and undo what happened to them.” A year-long secondment to Legal Aid, which saw the young lawyer switch sides to defend those accused of sexual crimes, further piqued her i nterest in prevention. [...] The Australian curriculum, which introduces the concept of relationships and sexuality from Year 3, offers some guidance in the way of teaching consent and is being strengthened as part of a national review. [...] In the early years, students learn how to describe the meaning of “private” in the context of their own and others’ bodies, and to distinguish between appropriate and inappropriate touching. [...] “A school’s lessons on respect will be completely neutralised if there is domestic violence in the home, foul language in conversation and misogyny.” Katrina Marson is pleased to see the issue on the public agenda, but she’s worried that moves to update the school curriculum and roll out new resources on consent could lead to many thinking the job is done.