This year's Sexual Assault Awareness Month theme is #IAsk

Parents & caregivers should talk to children about consent and personal boundaries. Personal boundaries are rules and limits a person creates for themselves, and consent is granting permission for someone to cross those boundaries. While consent education is an essential aspect of sex education, teaching children about consent can also protect children from grooming and instill a sense of autonomy within them. 

For younger children, conversations about consent can start long before conversations about sex. Consent is simply about respecting the boundaries of others and having confidence in your own personal boundaries. Emphasize to your child that when asking someone to consent to something (like a hug), it should be assumed the default answer is a "no", because consent is only obtained through a verbal "yes". 

This 2 minute video for children explains that asking for consent and giving consent is very important. It provides age appropriate examples of asking for consent and respecting the answer!

 

Q: How do you know if someone consents?              

A: A verbal "yes"

Q: If someone touches you without your consent, or won't stop touching you after you have said "no", what do you do?   

A: Seek out a trusted adult- review with your child who the trusted adults are in their life. 

Q: Why is it important to ask before touching someone?

A: Everybody has their own boundaries, it's important to ask before crossing those boundaries in order to respect others and not cause harm.