CASE Sparks Outrage with Sexual Consent Advice

The Student-Led Group is facing backlash for their new pamphlets

The pamphlet went viral on twitter

by Natasha Doris

Aberdeen University’s Consent Awareness and Sexual Education group (CASE) have come under fire for handing out pamphlets on sexual consent around the campus which have raised concerns among the student population.

The group listed “smiling” and “laughing” as “possible signs of sexual consent.”

A representative for CASE said: “Listening only for verbal signs of possible consent without paying attention to a person’s non-verbal cues is not a good way to determine consent, either. For example, a person could say yes due to feeling pressured, and in a situation like that the verbal cue could be present alongside non-verbal signs of no consent, such as avoiding eye contact, withdrawing from touch, etc.”

The pamphlet has resulted in worries among the student body, with students commenting on the ambiguous message that the student group appear to be sending.

Student Abbie Magma posted on Twitter: “If it’s not verbal then it’s not consent mate.”

The group defended their advice on their Facebook page: “The key word for this section of our pamphlet would be ‘possible’, as non-verbal signs in particular cannot be used to determine consent and are often misunderstood. Smiling and laughing are especially often seen as consent to proceed with various sexual activities without that being the case.”

CASE have apologised for the concerns which have been raised by their message.

“We appreciate this having been flagged to us and apologise for any distress and confusion we have caused. We encourage anyone with similar concerns to reach out to us, as we are continually working to improve as a group!”