CONSENT IS THE CORNERSTONE OF HEALTHY RELATIONSHIPS

Educators can empower the youth by providing them various tools and resources so that they can make informed and empowered choices and cultivate meaningful emotive connections based on reciprocity, love and understanding

- BIJAYALAXMI NANDA AND DR. NUPUR RAY

NURTURING the youth to healthy adulthood requires us to examine the idea of consent and choice. With 60% population below the age of 35, India has the world’s largest youth population. There is palpable excitement about the potential of our youth population in contemporary global deliberations. This ‘youth bulge ‘signifies the opportunity of a demographic dividend.

However, along with this opportunity there are several challenges that range from excessive dependency on social media to seemingly complex boundaries of interpersonal relationships. It is essential for the youth to navigate these challenges as a prerequisite to realise their full potential. At the centre of these navigating contours lies the core importance of consent.

Consent signifies the idea of personal agency, boundaries and reciprocal respect and obligations. Living in a dynamic and disruptive environment of societal norms, cultural expectations and social media bombardment, young adults are socialised to perpetuate and reinforce stereotypes.

The media, especially cinema, romanticises violence and coercive behaviour, especially in intimate partner relationships and trivialises the significance of consent. The commercial success of the film Animal brings to the forefront the celebration of hegemonic masculinity. The sensitive understanding of consent in the film Pink seems to have been forgotten now. How can we retrieve the richness of consent in its core essence, rather than peripheral interpretations and promote relationships embedded in equality and recognise the inherent worth and dignity of every individual?