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What is Respect and Consent?
Respect and Consent are essential aspects of any healthy relationship and interaction.
Respect is all about valuing people as individuals, and refraining from objectifying their partner and showing consideration for their feelings, choices, and rights.
Consent, is voluntary and clear agreement between two people to engage in a specific activity. It should be informed and given freely without any form of pressure or manipulation.
Even though, this is an important topic and subconsciously, men are aware of it, but a lack of conscious practice results in a significant number of respect and consent breaches.
R&C in Singapore
Respect and Consent breaches are on the rise in Singapore. In 2019, there were 56 cases reported all across Singapore Universities. Since then, the numbers have risen to an alarming 71 cases just within NUS over the past five years.
Yet, it is the recent saga at NTUSU that intensified the need to address this issue.
These reported cases are a testament to the courage of individuals who have stepped forward to assert their rights. However, it is essential to recognise that there may be numerous other unreported cases in the fear of victim blaming.
In nearly all the documented cases, men have been identified as the offenders. As a group of men, we have taken it upon ourselves to convey a critical message to our fellow men: it is our collective responsibility to strive for a better version of ourselves.
Empowering Change: Our Commitment to Spreading a Powerful Message
According to experts, the current educational approaches like raising awareness about the issue, often fall short in inducing meaningful behavioral change. Likewise, traditional deterrence strategies such as suspension from school or stricter police custody have proven to be ineffective too, evident in the continuous surge in misconduct cases, particularly sexual harassment.
In light of these challenges, we are redefining our approach. Our new direction involves sowing the seeds of respect and consent in the minds of men through engaging visual stimulations and infographics. Our aim is to make men more receptive to this crucial topic, with the ultimate goal of fostering a significantly positive behavioral change among men, about being respectful and getting consent.
We aim. We strive. We change.
THE MEN BEHIND THE CHANGE
Revanth Patnala
Ryan How
