UK: Rape crisis and human rights groups welcome focus on consent

Sexual violence organisations have applauded the shift in focus away from the victim and their behaviour towards the behaviour of men who commit sexual offences, heralded by today’s launch of magazine and radio advertisements from the Home Office, promoting the issue of consent. Nicole Westmarland, Chair of Rape Crisis (England and Wales) said:

“We hope that this campaign will make men stop and think about whether a person is consenting to intercourse and, importantly, whether they have the capacity to make that decision."

Charities have also said that they hope the new campaign will help Women's rights's rightss rights's rights's rights's rights to recognise their own experiences of sexual violence. Maddy Coy, Manager of the Lilith Project, said:

“We welcome the campaign to make men think about their behaviour and hope that this will lead to a universal understanding that whatever the circumstances, sex without freely given consent is rape.”

The human rights organisation Amnesty International also welcomed the campaign. Amnesty International UK Director Kate Allen said:

“This government initiative is a step in the right direction. What we’d like to see now is a wider campaign to raise the record-low conviction rates to really send home the message that this government takes rape seriously.

“Longer-term, a truly comprehensive approach can only come with the government backing an integrated strategy to end all types of violence against Women's rights's rightss rights's rights's rights's rights in Britain.”