Students from K-12 to get lessons in sexual consent
Premier says fight against violence must be learned ‘from a young age’
Alberta’s school curriculum from kindergarten to Grade 12 will soon include lessons about sexual consent, Premier Rachel Notley announced Tuesday.
The change comes as a result of the province’s curriculum review.
“We need everybody knowing what consent is and how fundamental it is to relationships between people, and we need to learn that from a young age and be comfortable talking about it,” Notley said.
“We know there are sexual health classes . . . throughout later grades, but we want to make sure consent is a fundamental part of that, and we need to get to talking about it earlier.”
Education Minister David Eggen expects to sign off on the new K-4 curriculum by the end of the year.
Younger students will be learning about respect and personal space, he said Tuesday.
“Fighting sexual violence, it’s important to internalize that students have the right to say ‘No’ to ensure the security of their own personal selves,” Eggen said.
“Even from a young age, talking about sharing and asking and ensuring the integrity of a person is absolutely necessary.”
The news came as Notley proclaimed May as Sexual Violence Awareness Month in Alberta.
Events around the province this month will focus on increasing the awareness — and reporting — of sexual violence.
Currently, the reporting rate is only five per cent, Notley said, and that needs to change.
To kick it off, the government has committed to shifting the culture toward believing victims; improving the response of the social, health, justice and education systems; and funding front-line services and prevention programs.
That commitment was developed through consultations with front-line providers, advocates and victims, and will see 10 government ministries and community organizations deliver a co-ordinated, Alberta-wide response.
“Every Albertan deserves to live free from sexual harassment and assault,” Notley said.
Sexual violence survivor Carlynn McAneeley was at Tuesday’s event, where she shared her story of being assaulted by a trusted friend in university.
Raising awareness about sexual violence helps bring those crimes out of the shadows, McAneeley said.
“I never thought I would see this day,” she said. “It’s clear with this commitment today that, for the first time, the priorities of government
“For the first time, the priorities of government reflect me and the needs of survivors across this province.
reflect me and the needs of survivors across this province.”
Tuesday’s announcement is the latest step the government has taken to address sexual violence in Alberta.
It has invested around $52 million in programs and services to prevent sexual violence and support survivors, including $8.1 million to increase access to counselling and cut wait times, $1.2 million for the Zebra Child Protection Centre, funding the #IBelieveYou campaign, and boosting funding for women’s shelters by $15 million.