Report on “Consent Laid Bare” and its Alignment with Sustainable Development Goals

Introduction: Chanel Contos and the Mission for Consent Education

A report on the work of Chanel Contos, founder of the nonprofit organization Teach Us Consent and author of “Consent Laid Bare.” Her efforts focus on expanding comprehensive consent education, a mission that directly supports several United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The book, based on extensive research and testimony, aims to deconstruct harmful societal norms surrounding sex, power, and desire, particularly for young adults. This initiative is a critical contribution to achieving global targets for health, education, and equality.

Advancing SDG 4: Quality Education and SDG 5: Gender Equality

Foundational Research and Campaigning

The creation of “Consent Laid Bare” was rooted in academic research and grassroots advocacy, demonstrating a powerful model for achieving systemic change in line with key SDGs.

• Academic Origins: The book originated as a master’s dissertation at University College London, focusing on entitlement, power imbalances, and sexual violence. This research provides a scholarly foundation for its accessible content.
• Advocacy in Action: Contos initiated a campaign in Australia that collected 7,000 testimonies of youth sexual assault. This led to a successful petition with 50,000 signatures.
• Policy Impact: The campaign resulted in the mandating of consent education in all Australian schools from kindergarten to year 10. This is a direct implementation of SDG 4 (Quality Education), ensuring inclusive and equitable education that promotes a culture of peace and non-violence, and SDG 5 (Gender Equality), by equipping all students with knowledge to dismantle harmful gender stereotypes.

Analysis of Systemic Issues Contributing to Violence and Inequality

Challenging Harmful Social Structures

The report highlights how certain social structures perpetuate inequality and violence, undermining progress on multiple SDGs. Contos’s analysis provides critical insight into these challenges.

1. Deconstructing Rape Culture: The work challenges the misconception of sexual assault perpetrators as social outcasts, arguing they are often integrated into the social fabric. This understanding is vital for creating effective prevention strategies under SDG 16 (Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions), which aims to end all forms of violence.
2. Critique of University Social Structures: The example of fraternity party “ratios” is used to illustrate how institutional practices can assign different values to men and women, creating a skewed “sexual economy.” This directly contravenes the principles of SDG 5 (Gender Equality) and SDG 10 (Reduced Inequalities).
3. Toxic Masculinity and Hookup Culture: The report identifies how toxic masculinity transforms sex into a “conquest” or social status indicator, removing intimacy and consent. This culture is detrimental to SDG 3 (Good Health and Well-being), as it negatively impacts mental and emotional health and normalizes non-consensual behavior. The heteronormative and patriarchal nature of this culture further reinforces the gender inequalities targeted by SDG 5.

Recommendations for Reform and Future Action

A Multi-faceted Approach to Fostering a Culture of Consent

The findings advocate for comprehensive reforms in education and parenting to build a society founded on respect, empathy, and consent, aligning with a holistic vision of sustainable development.

• Fundamental Role of Parenting: Consent education should begin in the home, as consent is a foundational principle of all respectful relationships, not just sexual ones.
• Systemic Educational Reform: To achieve SDG 4 (Quality Education), education systems must formally address consent, respect, and empathy. This ensures that all young people, including those in vulnerable situations, receive this critical information.
• Empowering Individuals: The final recommendation encourages young people to critically analyze the origins of their desires and decisions. This call for self-awareness and critical thinking is essential for fostering empowered individuals who can contribute to building the peaceful and equitable societies envisioned in the SDGs.

SDGs Addressed in the Article

1. SDG 4: Quality Education

   • The article extensively discusses the need for comprehensive consent and sex education. Chanel Contos’s work, through her nonprofit “Teach Us Consent” and her book “Consent Laid Bare,” directly advocates for educational reform. The successful campaign to have “consent education… mandated in all Australian schools from kindergarten until year 10” is a central point, highlighting the role of the education system in shaping respectful relationships and preventing violence.

2. SDG 5: Gender Equality

   • The article frames sexual violence as a manifestation of gender inequality. It addresses issues like “the patriarchy,” “toxic masculinity,” and power imbalances where men hold structural power. The example of frat party “ratios” giving “different human value to men and women” directly points to discriminatory social norms that undermine gender equality. The entire discussion on sexual assault is rooted in achieving safety and equality for women and girls.

3. SDG 10: Reduced Inequalities

   • The analysis of sexual violence is linked to broader “power imbalances – with race, class, gender, colonial power.” This shows that the issue is not just about gender but is intertwined with other forms of societal inequality. The campaign for mandated education is an action aimed at reducing inequalities of outcome by providing all students, regardless of their background, with crucial knowledge and protection.

4. SDG 16: Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions

   • The article’s core subject is sexual violence and assault, which is a direct violation of peace and personal security. The campaign for “mandated consent education” represents an effort to build stronger, more just societal structures (through legislation and policy in the education system) to prevent such violence. The goal is to create a safer society where consent is understood and respected, thus reducing violence.

Specific SDG Targets Identified

1. Target 4.7: Ensure all learners acquire knowledge and skills needed to promote sustainable development, including gender equality and a culture of peace and non-violence.

   • The article directly supports this target by advocating for education on “consent, and respect, and empathy and respectful relationships.” Contos’s successful campaign to mandate consent education in Australia is a concrete example of implementing this target to promote gender equality and non-violence from a young age.

2. Target 5.2: Eliminate all forms of violence against all women and girls in the public and private spheres, including sexual exploitation.

   • This target is central to the article. The discussion is driven by “7,000 stories of sexual assault” collected by Contos. Her work aims to address and eliminate the root causes of this violence, which she identifies in societal norms, entitlement, and a lack of proper education.

3. Target 10.3: Ensure equal opportunity and reduce inequalities of outcome, including by eliminating discriminatory policies and practices.

   • The successful campaign that led to consent education being “successfully mandated in all Australian schools” is a direct example of promoting legislation and policy to combat a discriminatory practice (the lack of consent education that disproportionately harms victims of sexual assault). It aims to ensure more equal outcomes in safety and well-being.

4. Target 16.2: End abuse, exploitation, trafficking and all forms of violence against and torture of children.

   • The article specifies that the testimonies of assault happened while the “victim and perpetrator were of high school age” and that the new education mandate in Australia covers students from “kindergarten until year 10.” This directly relates to the goal of ending violence against children and adolescents through preventative educational measures.

Indicators for Measuring Progress

1. Implied Indicator for Target 5.2: Prevalence of sexual violence.

   • The article’s reference to collecting “7,000 stories of sexual assault” serves as a qualitative indicator of the high prevalence of sexual violence among young people. A formal indicator would be the “Proportion of ever-partnered women and girls subjected to physical, sexual or psychological violence by a current or former intimate partner” (Indicator 5.2.1) and “by persons other than an intimate partner” (Indicator 5.2.2). The testimonies highlight the scale of the problem that the initiatives are trying to reduce.

2. Direct Indicator for Target 4.7: Mainstreaming of global citizenship and human rights education in national policies and curricula.

   • The article provides a clear, positive data point for Indicator 4.7.1 (“Extent to which… gender equality and human rights, are mainstreamed… in (a) national education policies; (b) curricula”). The statement that “consent education was successfully mandated in all Australian schools from kindergarten until year 10” is a direct measure of progress, showing that the topic has been officially integrated into the national curriculum.

3. Implied Indicator for Target 16.2: Prevalence of violence against children.

   • The focus on sexual assault occurring at “high school age” implies the relevance of Indicator 16.2.3 (“Proportion of young women and men aged 18-29 years who experienced sexual violence by age 18”). The entire initiative described in the article is a strategy to lower this proportion through education.

Summary Table: SDGs, Targets, and Indicators

Source: dailybruin.com