The catalyst behind an influential initiative stressing the importance of sexual consent, Chanel Contos, is asserting that the alarming prevalence of adolescents suffering from sexual assault or coercion constitutes a national health crisis.
Reportedly, one in five women have experienced sexual assault since reaching the age of 15, as per the data gathered by the Australian Bureau of Statistics. Contos, however, expressed reservations about this number during a National Press Club session held on Wednesday.
Contos raised concerns over the statistics, arguing that they do not resonate with the harsh reality. She passionately stressed that the figures fail to encapsulate the harrowing experiences of myriad teenagers whose inaugural sexual encounters at the tender age of 13 or 14 lacked mutual consent.
The underlying hesitancy of many survivors to clearly articulate their experiences only exacerbates the problem, according to Contos. She initially gained recognition after sharing an Instagram post, prompting her followers to share their instances of sexual assault during their academic years.
In response, she received approximately 200 disturbing accounts in less than 24 hours. This shocking revelation led her to establish the Teach Us Consent platform.
Presently, her initiative has garnered the support of nearly 50,000 Australians. Shockingly, almost 7,000 testimonies from individuals recalling experiences of sexual assault during their school years have been shared on the site. Contos’ eye-opening findings were recognized by every education minister across the nation, spurring them to unanimously support compulsory consent education for children starting from kindergarten up till tenth grade.
While addressing the audience, Contos drew attention to a 2021 survey involving sexually active high schoolers, which found that a staggering 41% had experienced unwanted sexual activity. On average, their first unwelcome sexual encounter took place at 14.9 years of age. Disturbingly, 60% claimed that such incidents transpired amid intimate relationships.
Contos candidly questioned the distinctions drawn between sexual assault and these experiences, empathizing with the reluctance shown by many women and girls to label their experiences as rape or sexual assault, especially when the oppressor happens to be a close acquaintance.
In light of these realities, Contos pointed out confidently that 45% of young women who had been sexually active before reaching 16 had been subjected to sexual assault or coercion, a figure vastly greater than the national statistic suggesting one in five women experience assault after 15. Given that nearly 70% of twelfth-grade students were sexually active, she described the situation as a national health crisis.
In addressing the issue further, Contos dissected the motivations of different types of offenders, placing particular emphasis on the fourth category termed as ‘entitled opportunists’. These are individuals who exhibit high social competence and act impulsively without seeming to display malice or sadistic tendencies. Instead, their actions stem from a misguided belief in their entitlement to immediate sexual gratification. According to Contos, actions of the ‘entitled opportunists’, who exhibit confidence and opportunism, can be curbed through education about consent and fostering empathy, particularly towards women.
