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Your support makes all the difference.Rape Crisis centres from across England and Wales received an average of over 3,000 calls a week - some 165,000 in the 12 months to 31 March 2015 - as students of both gender came forward to report being raped at university, according to one survey.
The recent survey, conducted by The Telegraph, showed how a third of female students in Britain have endured a sexual assault or unwanted advances at university and also discovered half of female students - and a third of their male counterparts - knew of a friend or relative who experienced some form of sexual assault.
Further finding also showed how over 30 per cent of female students had been the victim of “inappropriate touching or groping,” as one in eight males told how they had been subjected to groping and unwanted advances.
Do these statistics, however, show people are unaware of the definition of consent?
According to Sutter Health Palo Alto Medical Foundation, consent is that both people in a sexual encounter must agree to it, and either person may decide at any time that they no longer consent and want to stop the activity.
The new site's article further reinforced that by consenting to one behaviour does not obligate people to consent to any others. Ultimately, by consenting on one occasion also does not obligate persons to consent on any other occasion. Therefore each sexual encounter requires consent on its own accord.
Specialists concur that determining consent revolves around two questions; does the person want to give consent? And is the person capable of giving consent? Interpreting signs and guessing can lead to sexual offences or even rape.
Students are being encouraged to read on their sexual rights, so they are aware what their own rights are in a sexual encounter, for example the right to stop giving consent.
If you have been affected by any of the issues in the article, please visit Rape Crisis
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