Schoolgirl protest calls for consent education

WELLINGTON: Hundreds of girls from three Wellington schools have staged a demonstration outside Parliament calling for compulsory sexual consent education.

A sea of placards stated ‘‘sex without consent is rape’’ and ‘‘rape is a crime not a culture’’.

Deputy Prime Minister Paula Bennett, who is also minister for women, told the demonstrators they were being brave to criticise behaviour that was not acceptable at any level.

‘‘We’ve heard your voices. We see you, we hear you, I commend you,’’ she said.

Among the more than 300 girls yesterday was a much smaller number of boys and men.

The demonstrators were backed by student unions and antiviolence campaigners.

The girls are also calling for women’s rights to be taught in an effort to highlight issues of rape culture.

The protest follows lewd comments made on social media by Wellington College boys last week and the suspension of four year 9 boys from St Patrick’s College Silverstream days later over an alleged incident of sexual harassment of two female staff.

The pupils were due to hold their protest at Wellington College, but were forced to move it to Parliament after girls were allegedly threatened with violence.

The New Zealand Union of Students and Thursdays in Black, a student movement against sexual and gender violence, said they stood in solidarity with the protesters.

‘‘Rape culture is pervasive in New Zealand society so we should not view these comments and actions as isolated incidents,’’ Thursdays in Black national coordinator Izzy O’Neill said.

‘‘Rather, they are representative of a larger problem, which points to a need for standardised, respectful and healthy relationships and consent education for our young people in New Zealand schools.’’ Ministry of Education deputy secretary Katrina Casey said last week the two schools at the centre of the outrage were taking appropriate action against the boys involved.

For Wellington College, that has included inviting Wellington Girls’ College principal Julia Davidson to speak to pupils, and for headmaster Roger Moses to visit both Wellington Girls’ and Wellington East Girls’ College to speak to and hear from students.

‘‘We should take the time to listen to what they have to say,’’ he said.

The Wellington College boys involved would also face consequences, he said.