Sex and The law
The Facts - Sexual Consent
(pauseplaystop.org.uk)
 To raise student awareness of the law
relating to sex
 To recognise the harm that indecent
image sharing will have on them and
their futures
 To understand that consent must be
given in all sexual activities
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Sex and You
© ORCA Education Limited 2004
New
Words
Not yet thanks!
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Despite everything you see
and hear it is quite normal and
right for people not to have
sex until they meet the right
person.
20% of young people do not
have sex until they are in their
twenties.
Over 70% of young people do
not have sex until they are 18
or 19.
Many people are not really
interested or ready to have a
male or female partner until
they are much older.
© ORCA Education Limited 2004
and suppliers all rights reserved
Do you feel there is pressure
on you to have a close
boyfriend or girlfriend? *
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The Law
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There are laws to protect
young people from sex at a
too early age.
Under age sex can be
damaging both emotionally
and physically.
It is against the law to have
sex with someone under 16.
This even applies if both are
under 16.
Having sex with a girl under 13
is considered statutory rape
and has a maximum sentence
of life in prison.
© ORCA Education Limited 2004
and suppliers all rights reserved
Sometimes it feels like everyone’s trying
to push you into having sex: your friends,
your boyfriend or girlfriend, films and TV.
But it’s up to you when you have sex, and
it’s OK to say no.
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 Legal age to have sex
 The age you can have sex is called ‘the
age of consent’. In the UK it is 16 years
old. This means that according to the law,
only those who are aged 16 or over are
able to freely agree to any sexual activity,
in full understanding of the consequences
of having sex. This applies if you want to
have sex with someone of the opposite
sex, or the same sex.
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LIFE
Causing a person to engage in sexual
activity without consent.
It is an offence for a person intentionally to
cause another person to engage in sexual
activity without that persons consent, if
he/she does not reasonably believe that
the other consents.
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LIFE
What is rape?
A person commits rape if they
intentionally penetrate the vagina,
anus or mouth of another person
with their penis without consent.
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LIFE
Assault by penetration.
A person commits assault by
penetration if they intentionally
penetrate the vagina or anus of
another person with a part of the body
or anything else, without their
consent.
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Sexual / Indecent assault
Intentionally touch someone in a sexual way
without reasonable belief they consented.
Touching covers all physical contact,
whether with a part of the body, or
anything else or through clothing.
Up to 10 years imprisonment
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40% thought it was ok to send topless shots
Sexting
Naked selfie
Cyber sex
Nudie
SEXTING
15% thought it was ok to send fully nude
shots
Sexting: An Exploration of
Practices, Attitudes and Influences
NSPCC 2012
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Reasons for Sexting
Sexting can happen for lots of reasons. You might:
 feel like ‘everyone else is doing it’ even if they’re not – especially if they're
exaggerating about sending photos or boasting about having them on their
phone
 worry about being seen as 'not sexy', 'frigid' or 'shy' and go along with things
you're uncomfortable with
 feel under pressure to sext as a way of 'proving' your sexuality
 feel harassed, threatened or blackmailed into sending pictures
 feel it's easier just to 'give in' to somebody who keeps asking for things
 want someone's approval
 think you 'owe' your boyfriend or girlfriend or made to feel guilty if you don't
do what they ask you for
 be in love with the person and trust them completely
 have a long distance or online relationship with someone and want to have
a sexual relationship with them
 feel proud of your body and want to share it with other people.
HOWEVER…
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Sexting and the Law
•It is illegal to:
•create sexual images/ videos of anyone younger than 18
years old (including a video a person creates themselves).
This is considered child pornography.
•possess child pornography, i.e., to save child
pornography (on a phone, computer or other device)
•distribute child pornography, i.e., sell or share images/
videos. This includes showing it to people, forwarding it,
or posting it to the internet.
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IT IS ILLEGAL TO:
 take or make a naked selfie
 show or send such photographs
 possess such images with intent to show and/or to
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send them on
ask for a naked picture of a child
A CHILD IS A PERSON UNDER THE AGE OF 18
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Cyber Safety Awareness for
parents
SEXTING – THE RISKS
It’s illegal
It’s NOT harmless
Taking, sharing or receiving an image, even
voluntarily, can have a long-lasting effect.
By sending a naked image, a young person
is producing and distributing child abuse /
indecent images and risks being
prosecuted, even if the picture is taken
and shared with their permission
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No control of images
The sender has no control about how the naked
selfie is passed on.
When images are stored or shared online
they become public.
These images may NEVER be completely
removed and could be found in the future, for
example when applying for jobs or university
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How long can you
face in jail for
sexting someone
underage?
• If enforced,
the law would mean
anyone over 18 in
England and Wales
who sent a sexually
explicit message to
a child, or
attempted to
encourage the
child to send
something explicit
themselves, could
face up to two
years in prison.
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Cyber Safety Awareness for
parents
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What does consent mean?
Agreeing for something to happen and
that person has the freedom and
capacity to make that choice.
Still relevant to those in a relationship.
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When can consent
not be given?
(Discuss)
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What if I have underage sex?
•The law sees it as sexual assault - it's a criminal
offence. This is because in the eyes of the law we
are unable to give informed consent to sex when
still a child.
•A boy who has sex with a girl under 16 is
breaking the law. Even if she agrees.
•If she is 13-15, the boy could go to prison for
two years.
•If she is under 13 he could be sentenced to
life imprisonment.
•A girl age 16 or over who has sex with a boy
under 16 can be prosecuted for indecent assault.
What is
Consent? |
Disrespect
NoBody YouTube
https://youtu.be/n6X5I7xoxEY
In what percentage of
rape cases do you
think the victim knows
the offender?
Answer: 92 per cent of offenders are
known to their victim
•Freely given. -Consenting is a choice
you make without pressure,
manipulation, or under the influence of
drugs or alcohol.
Reversible. Anyone can change
their mind about what they feel like
doing, anytime. Even if you’ve done it
before, and even if you’re both naked in
bed.
Informed. You can only consent to something
if you have the full story. For example, if
someone says they’ll use a condom and then
they don’t, there isn’t full consent.
Enthusiastic. When it comes to sex, you should only do
stuff you WANT to do, not things that you feel you’re
expected to do.
Specific. Saying yes to one thing (like going to the bedroom to make
out) doesn’t mean you’ve said yes to others (like having sex).
PSNI officers
recorded 3,528
reports of sexual
offences between
September 2017 and
August 2018,
compared to 3,229
during the previous
12 months, a rise of
9.3%.
However, they are
concerned that many
sexual assaults go
unreported, and
have called for all
victims to come
forward.
Anyone can be a victim — no matter their gender,
sexual orientation, or age. But certain groups of
people are more likely than others to experience
sexual assault in their lives. Women (especially
women of color), LGBT identified people, and people
with developmental disabilities are more likely to
experience sexual assault over the course of their
lifetimes.
2 Minutes Will Change
the Way You Think
About Consent YouTube
If you’ve had sex with someone
before, you’ve given consent for
sex with them again in the
future.
Answer:
False- Every time you have sex you
need to be sure the other person is
willing.
Unless the other person says No
and makes it very clear they
don’t want to have sex, it’s ok to
assume they are giving consent.
Answer:
False- Sometimes people are worried or scared about
upsetting someone and might not say no very forcefully. A
no is still a no and should be respected. Some people
might freeze completely and be unable to say no at all.
You should never assume consent. Instead, assume you
don’t have it unless the other person makes is very clear
that they definitely want to have sex.
People who are raped can be
responsible for putting themselves in
situations where they are raped, such as
wearing provocative clothing or getting
drunk.
Answer:
False- If you were drunk and naked with
someone who doesn’t think it’s ok to take
advantage of someone who is vulnerable, you
won’t be raped. It is ALWAYS the responsibility
of the rapist if someone gets raped. CONSENT
SEPTEMBER 2018.
Someone could end up
committing rape when they
have had too much to drink or
taken drugs.
Answer:
False- Drugs and alcohol
impair your judgement, but
they don’t stop you knowing
right from wrong.
If you’re in a relationship, you
have consent!
Answer:
False- Just because you’re in a
relationship doesn’t mean you
automatically have consent. You should
always check. You are not entitled to sex
because you are in a relationship.
At the lower end of the scale is one-off offence in
which just the one deception has taken place.
When sentencing, the judge will consider if the
victim is vulnerable. If they are found to be, then
the sentence may be a community-based sentence
plus six months imprisonment. If the value of the
offence is more significant, then the time
imprisoned could be up to 18 months.
What is
the maximum
penalty
for rape?
Rape is a serious offence to which the
dangerous offender provisions apply.
This means on conviction of rape, the
defendant can be sentenced to a
maximum of life imprisonment (the
starting point is five years).
Scenario 1
Jamie and Ellie are both 15 and have been
going out for 6 months. They have talked
about having sex for the last 2 months.
They have visited the family planning clinic
to get some advice on
contraception methods.
They both decided to have sex last
Saturday. They were both sober and feel
that they made the right decision.
Scenario 2
Jade and Ben have been together for a year.
Ben is now 17 and Jade is 15. Jade has been
talking about having sex for months but Ben
really wants to wait until they are both over 18.
Jade feels ready and is annoyed because all of
her mates have done it.
One night at a party, Jade gets Ben really
drunk so he agrees to have sex with her. They
have sex but in the morning Ben feels
disgusted and ends their relationship.
Sexual Assault - Stop Blaming the
Victim
https://youtu.be/n6X5I7xoxEY
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TD2EooMhqRI
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fGoWLWS4-kU
Task 2: Place each scenario under whether
you think it legal or illegal in the UK. Disc
as a class.
5 minutes!
Did you guess
right?
Questions?
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What to do….
Tell someone you trust Parents / carer, teacher, other family member,
Police, report abuse button…
Helpful websites
Childline
CEOP
Think you know
ZIPIT APP
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TASKS
Task 1- complete assignment 1. Create a
leaflet/poster that explains WHY consent is
important. Give detailed answers to each
question asked.
Task 2- complete the mind map on consent,
providing a relevant scenario and giving
detailed answers in each box
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