Taking Matters into Our Own Hands
Before you continue to read, please note this trigger warning as this project ‘Taking Matters into Our Own Hands’ is a is a rally for better consent education and with this comes conversations around sexual assault and harassment. Please remember support is available, and that you are not alone.
This project ‘Taking Matters into Our Own Hands’ was inspired by the release of the National Student Survey results which indicated that too many students were unsure and confused around the services each university offered in relation to reporting and support. It shed light on a state-wide issue, that students on university campuses were not aware of the services and so, not accessing them. Reading these results, I was appalled. My heart ached for those students who had to and still have to fumble and mumble their way through traumatic experiences without the appropriate support. However, unfortunately I was not shocked. Consent education and conversations around consent have really only just begun and they are typically being had in schools meaning a whole group of people, for example, university students and others who have graduated, are missing out on these conversations. Evidently, this is reflected in the statics with the overwhelming trend suggesting students are unsure of how to report and what to report. And so, with all this in mind, We Are Womxn took matters into our own hands.
To create such resources, we had the honour of collaborating with local artist Maddy Watt, who created the visual consent depiction. Maddy created a range of posters, some with examples of ways to ask and revoke consent and others just a call for action. When asked about the idea behind her art, she stated, “I wanted to use sharp and chaotic imagery, with bold and loud colours, to reinforce the complex nature of consent. Consent is not a simple yes or no, it is complex and confusing and at times can be really awkward and so I used a layering technique to act as a metaphor for just that; with each layer representing a different aspect of consent. I wanted the posters to be bold and chaotic, to help grab the attention of students to start conversations around this important topic of consent.”
The posters also act as a virtual educational platform guiding students to a range of resources created by myself and We Are Womxn co-founders Kate Raston and Nicolette Beard. These resources include mental health guides, consent guides, and documents detailing how to report and what to expect when reporting. By having all the consent resources in one place, we are hoping students that access our platform will be left with a complete picture of what their next steps are in relation to reporting and accessing support.
We want these posters to not only educate but inspire conversations, as our artist Maddy stated. Conversations around consent hold so much stigma, when really, they shouldn’t. I think when we hear the word consent, our brain automatically jumps to the sexually explicit connotation. But in fact, consent is fundamental for all relationships and the understanding of consent, of how to ask, give and revoke consent is important knowledge everyone should possess. We hope these easy-to-use resources provide students with an in-depth knowledge of consent and what to do if consent is violated, including what support is available both on and off campus.
Our goal is to see these resources posted all over Western Australian universities, providing all students with daily access to these consent resources and an opportunity to become educated. We hope these posters leave students feeling confident and empowered to access university support and leave them having a broader understanding of what consent looks like. We hope these posters change students' lives for the better by educating them on the reporting process, what to expect, support services and consent as a whole. We also hope they continue to inspire others to be vocal and feel confident to instigate conversations around consent.
If you’re interested in checking out the resources just scan this QR code!
By Alexis Pallister
