On Wednesday I assisted a workshop (second time) about affirmative consent (sexual assaults).

Before starting the presentation, the lady who was presenting asked everyone to paired up, then

she handed each group a pizza with several different topping. Each group were to decide on three

topping they wanted to put on their pizza, they purpose of this activity was to see how each

member of each groups were to compromise to satisfy everyone in the group. This was one of

my favorite activity during the workshop, however my favorite part was the tea video. The tea

video was about how you need to ask someone consent before making them tea, while keeping in

mind that they person can still change his mind about the tea. The tea video was a way to explain

to us about how to approach consent when it’s come to sex. Always ask someone consent before

initiating sex or anything sexual, without consent it’s considered sexual assault. Sexual consent

is when both parties agrees and feel comfortable in engaging in sexual activities without the uses

of pressure, coercion (threat). Sexual assaults affect all genders (women, men, transgender).

Personally, I really didn’t think that men could be sexually assaulted but one in six men have

experienced sexual violence (different from sexual assault) in their lifetime, furthermore the uses

of threat, intimidation, manipulation to get sex can still be consider sexual assault. Yes, I’m

ready, I want to, sure, are some of the responses a consented person would give, while no, I’m

not sure, not now, I don’t know, are answer a person who does not consent would give. Silence

or the absence of response does not mean consent was given. In New Jersey, a minor under 13

cannot give consent, and the age of consent is 16, though minor from 13-15 can give consent to

sexual activity with people who are 4 year older than them. Example, if a girl is 13 years old and

her partner is 17 years but next month would turn 18, they cannot engage in any sexual activity

or it can be considered child abuse. Person under the influence of drugs or alcohol cannot give
consent because they might not know what they are agreeing to and that’s consider sexual

assault. The lady doing the presentation shared what you can call a personal experience, which I

think was very brave. She was a victim of sexual assault twice, the first time by a close friend

which tell us that sexual assault perpetrator are more likely to be close friend or even close

family, 55% of assaults occurs in or near the victims home and the second by a gang of frat boys

and she also said that sexual assault victims are more likely to get assaulted twice in their

lifetime. At the end of the workshop, we did a question- answer activity, where she asks the

question and us (the student) had to respond by dividing into three groups: agree, disagree or in

the middle. Sexual assault or violence is like a taboo topic people don’t really talk about but I

think it’s important that the society knows about these information, plus it gives young

generation an idea of how to act or who to talk to when face with this types of problems.

Sexual Violence is any form of unwanted or unwelcome sexual behavior, like sexual harassment,

stalking, inappropriate touching, or penetration without consent

Sexual Assault is the penetration, no matter how slight in which physical force or use of threat is

used, otherwise which the victim is physically or mentally incapacitated.