Consent

Sexual violence - rape, sexual assault, sexual harassment, online sexual abuse, stalking, child sexual abuse, and sadly many other forms - is a harmful activity that leaves lasting damage, both physical and phsychological.

DRCC has for more than 40 years worked to heal the trauma of sexual violence. But we also aim to prevent the harm it causes. 

DRCC believes that one of the most important ways we can prevent sexual violence is to ensure that people understand and know how to exercise consent, whether for themselves or in respect of others they encounter.

We define consent as the voluntary agreement to engage in sexual activity in a relationship with equal power. This agreement can be verbal or non-verbal, but should be given freely by individuals capable of consenting. This means that participants should be over the legal age of consent (which is 17 years in Ireland), not incapable of consenting because of the effects of drugs or alcohol, and not asleep or unconscious. Consent should never be assumed – it should be a clear, ongoing & continuous process in every new or repeated sexual encounter.

In this section of our site, we gather all our work on consent - resources, policy, campaigns and information, as well as the stories and experiences of survivors.