Negotiating consent

<p>\n<b>The only way to know for sure if someone has given consent is if they tell you. It’s not always easy to let people know that you are not happy about something. Sometimes the person you’re with might look like they’re happy doing something, but on the inside they’re not. They might not know what to say, or how to tell you, that they are uncomfortable. One of the best ways to determine if someone is uncomfortable with any situation, especially a sexual one, is to simply to ask them.</b>\n</p>

<p><b>Questions you could ask:</b><br><br>\n • ‘Is there anything that you don’t want to do?’<br>\n • ‘Are you happy with this?’<br>\n • ‘Are you comfortable?’<br>\n • ‘Do you want to stop?’<br>\n • ‘Do you want to go further?’<br><br>\n\n<b>Recognising non-verbal communication</b><br><br>\nThere are many ways of communicating. The look on someone’s face and their body language are also ways of communicating how they feel, and often have more meaning than the words they say. Here are some ways that a person’s body language can let you know whether or not they are comfortable with what you are doing together:\n</p>

<p><br>Asking questions and being aware of body language helps you to recognise if the person you’re with is consenting and feeling comfortable, or not consenting and feeling uncomfortable. If you get a negative or non-committal answer to any of your questions, or if your partner’s body language is showing uncomfortable signs, then you should stop what you are doing and talk to them about it. <br><br>They may not be ready or they may have changed their mind – and that’s totally OK – and you need to respect their decision.\n</p>