Radio Proposal Draft

Is consent taught enough?

What: Is sexual consent taught enough in schools and universities? Student caused outrage in writing an article titled 'Why I don't need consent lessons'

Where: Warwick university - but addresses nationally how universities address consent.

When: Article published on the 14th of October 2015.

Why: Brings into question the naivety of people who do not fully understand the concept of consent.

How: Angle will be: following on from the reaction of George Lawler's article, discussion on whether men and women are educated enough about consent.

Consent is a part of a huge public interest at the moment. Rape Crisis UK revealed that 85,000 women are raped every year. And in 2015, the Telegraph found that ⅓ of students in Britain has endured or sexual assault or unwanted sexual advances. Following these statistics, it could very well be argued that lessons on consent at universities are necessary to teach young men and women about the importance of boundaries.

Student George Lawler at Warwick university caused outrage in an article he wrote for The Tab in which he accused 'I Heart Consent' workshops as being ‘the biggest insult I’ve received in a good few years.’ George Lawler's main argument is that he is well aware of what is consensual and what isn't 'Yes means yes, no means no. Its that simple'. He accompanied the article with a photograph of him holding a piece of paper which read 'This is not what a rapist looks like'. There have been many news reports and open letters in response to George Lawler's article. With the main focus being on whether there are a growing amount of people who agree with George.

This story provides a good platform for discussion on what people understand to be consentful. And brings into question whether or not schools and universities are doing enough to educate students in particular. The radio piece would be featured on Radio 4 to highlight the seriousness of the topic. Ideal interviews would include the person who created the 'I Heart Consent' workshop in Warwick on their reasonings behind it and why it's important to educate students. Would also be extremely insightful to interview George Lawler- although this is doubtful due to the large amount of bad press he has received. Finally I would like to interview a victim of sexual assault on a campus university and possibly the health minister at the University of Sussex.

Soundbites will hopefully include snippets from a ‘I Heart Consent’ workshops and sounds recorded on university campuses such as libraries or catering halls to create an atmosphere for the discussion.