Teaching kids about the right to consent (or not to)

My daughter is only three but already my partner and I have begun trying to teach her to protect herself and know what her rights are. How can we teach kids about consent? And how do we educate whole communities about consent so we are modelling the behaviours we want kids to emulate and expect from others?

The stats on child safety are deeply confronting: 1 in 5 Australian children will be sexually abused before they turn 18. Just over half of 6-year-olds cannot identify safe/unsafe touch. Just under half of 9-year-olds cannot accurately name genitals.

But we aren’t powerless. Body Safety Australia offers some practical things we can do, even with kids as young as mine. Teaching them the correct name for their body parts is a good starting point. Ask your child if you can take a photo of them before you do so. Then ask if you can share that photo with others, so that children learn that they own their own image, as well as their bodies.

This nice, light article also has some good advice. It helped me feel like there was some immediate action I could take other than moving to the middle of nowhere and trying to hide from the world.

This has inspired me to think about other ways I can try and create change in this space. As designers, we are part of creating the products, systems and culture (on and offline) that can facilitate or hinder the ability to internalise and practise consent.