Teaching sexual consent in our schools is welcome

MANY of us could nominate some items for a list entitled: “If we could achieve just one thing in 2018...” For such a list, we suggest: “Advancing the fight against sexual abuse, violence and harassment.” The fast-fading year of 2017 brought a lot of brutal realities to light in that regard. We were reminded more forcefully than ever that sexual exploitation of the vulnerable and misconduct by people in positions of power have been very prevalent in our recent past and continue to be a major concern.

With all of that in mind, we must extend a guarded welcome to plans by Children’s Minister Katherine Zappone to begin an education programme in sexual consent at selected secondary schools around the country in 2018. Such moves often attract criticisms from more conservative groups, arguing that schools are implicitly, if not explicitly, condoning or even encouraging sexual activity among teenagers.

Those concerns are understandable, but a little misguided. We must ask ourselves again how else we can actually expect young people to learn about good sexual ethics. It certainly will not happen by process of osmosis.

The reality of our modern world is that youngsters in transition year, among whom this project is to be piloted, are coming of age and must learn a lot about correct behaviour in sexual relations. We should welcome our teachers, with professional training and experience, taking a role in this education programme.

But we must remember that this programme will not absolve parents of their primary responsibilities.