May & June Sexual Violence Prevention Blog

May and June can often be a quieter time for the Sexual Violence Prevention Programme (SVPP) due to the hustle and bustle in schools for exams, timetable changes, and fun events in and around school to mark the end of the school term before the summer break.

Whilst I may not be facilitating workshops in PSE lessons for S1 to S6, I am still a busy bee, working hard to strengthen collaborative working with other services in Moray to further bolster support and resources for young people and adults to access. I also take the opportunity to undertake training, webinars and research to further continue my professional development.

Which brings me onto writing this blog for you today. Given that consent has been so prominent in the press recently, with women speaking out about their experiences on Married at First Sight as an example, Moray Rape Crisis would like to have a consent-themed prevention blog to highlight some of our ongoing work on this topic. 

In addition, MRC are launching a new newsletter with a ‘featured post’ section, and for this newsletter we will focus on ‘Consent in Intimate Partner Relationships’. Consent in relationships is a topic of discussion that develops naturally via discussions with young people in all of the SVPP workshop themes; Consent, Power, Understanding Sexual Violence, Online Sexual Violence and Pornography. For more information about the SVPP, please click here.

There is a vast amount of information around consent online and on social media platforms, and it can be easy to feel a little overwhelmed with where to look for more knowledge and understanding. Due to the implementation in the UK of the social media ban for under 16’s from 2027, I’d like to let you know of a couple of things to check out that aren’t social media-based so everyone can access it. If you are looking for yourself, as a caregiver of a young person, or you are a young person, you should be able to access them fairly easily.

Eastenders Investigates: The Manosphere on BBC iPlayer.

Eastenders is a TV soap that has been renowned over the years for portraying real life events and dilemmas, via onscreen acting. A storyline developed around Image-based abuse, consent and the ‘manosphere’, which tackled the traumatic impacts for those involved.

As part of the Eastenders Investigates documentary, cast members spoke to a 22 year old Roxy Longworth who had been subjected to intimate-image abuse from an older person when she was a child.

“I was only 13 when the pressure to send nudes started from a 17 year old boy at school. As soon as I did, he wanted more and more explicit images otherwise he would lose interest in me. At first I was flattered, but the truth is from the moment he had that first photo, he controlled me. I could not tell my parents because I felt so ashamed, stupid and completely trapped. Then he shared the photos with a friend of his who I did not know, who threatened to spread the photos he now had around school unless I sent more. I was terrified and thought if that happened my life would be over. It was not until he demanded I send him a pornographic video of myself that I found the courage to block him. I had just turned 14 when he delivered on that threat and sent the photos of me around school. They spread everywhere, instantly, as did the bullying. Ostracised and alone, I started self harming, stopped sleeping and went into a mental health spiral that culminated in a psychotic breakdown. I was hospitalised and spent months on suicide watch.”

Just like those affected during the Married At First Sight series and the actors in the Eastenders storyline, Roxy had to navigate the trauma of feeling pushed, coerced, controlled and threatened into doing things she was not consenting too.

Being able to understand how power dynamics within relationships can affect and influence consent, can help create a safe space for more equal, healthy relationships to develop. To be able to understand what needs to be in place for consent to be present in any given relationship or situation you find yourself in, is also a great skill.

Knowing who to talk to for help, guidance, support or to begin reporting your experience, is also solid foundation for you to build upon. MRC has a Support section on our website and you can access that here.

If you’d like to know more about Roxy’s story and her online campaign ‘Write A Postcard To Your Younger Self’: a creative route to voice the experiences you have been through, please head to her website… https://www.behindourscreens.co.uk/about

Consent & The Law

I would like to finish up this blog with some final words on CONSENT & THE LAW:

In Scotland, sexual consent is legally defined as Free Agreement under the Sexual Offences (Scotland) Act 2009. It must be given actively and voluntarily. Any sexual activity, including touching or kissing, carried out without it is a criminal offense.

Key Legal Principles

• Free Choice: Individuals must have the freedom and capacity to decide. It cannot be obtained through pressure, manipulation, fear, or coercion.
• Withdrawal: Consent is not permanent; it can be withdrawn at any time, including during sexual activity.
• Continuous Agreement: Consenting to one sexual act does not imply consent to any other act.

When Consent is Legally Impossible

Under Scots Law, a person is incapable of giving consent in the following situations:

• Asleep or unconscious.
• Intoxicated to the point where they are incapable of consenting due to alcohol or drugs.
• Coerced by violence or the threat of violence.
• Agreeing because they are unlawfully detained.
• Deceived regarding the nature of the act or the identity of the person.

The Age of Consent and Positions of Trust

• The legal age of consent for all sexual activity in Scotland is 16.
• Children under the age of 13 are legally incapable of giving consent, meaning any sexual activity involving them is classified as a severe offense (such as rape).
• An individual aged 18 or over is barred from engaging in sexual activity with a 16 or 17-year-old if they are in a position of trust or authority (e.g., a teacher, carer, or doctor).

Here is a handy summary for you to check if a situation is consensual for all involved:

F – can I give my consent freely or do I feel pushed, threatened, forced and/or pressured into doing something I don’t want to do?

R – can I reverse my decision? Do I feel like I can change my mind at any time and that whomever I am with, will respect my change of mind?

I – have I got enough information? Have I been able to ask all the questions I feel I need to, so I can gather information about a situation to make the best decision for myself?

E – how enthusiastic am I feeling or the person/people I am with feeling? Am I aware of body language, eye contact, tone of voice, whether the ‘vibe feels off’ or not? How can I check in with myself or others to double check how we are feeling?

S – consent is specific. Saying yes to one particular thing does not mean you have consented yes to anything else.

Intimate Images

The UK’s Online Safety Act 2023 is landmark legislation requiring tech platforms, search engines, and sites hosting user-generated or adult content to protect UK users from illegal and harmful material. Enforced by Ofcom, it places its strongest protections on children, holding companies accountable through massive potential fines.

Now I look forward to August when I will be beginning a new phase of SVPP workshops with Lossiemouth High School, Elgin High School and Elgin Academy keeping me busy until spring 2027. I hope you have a wonderful summer too.

If you have been affected by sexual violence or if you would like to discuss anything further, please do reach out to us via phone, text or email. We are open 9-5 Monday to Friday. 

• Phone: 01343 550407
• Text or WhatsApp: 07759 031 557
• Email: contact@morayrapecrisis.scot

Outside of this time, if you are aged 13+, you can contact the Rape Crisis Scotland Helpline, open 5pm to midnight every night.

• Phone: 08088 01 03 02
• Text: 07537 410 027
• Email: support@rapecrisisscotland.org.uk
• Webchat: www.rapecrisisscotland.org.uk

If you are younger than 13 and wish to access help and support, you can contact Childline.

• Phone: 0800 1111
• Visit their website: www.childline.org.uk/get-support/