No sex talk please, we’re Irish teens

Irish teenagers can’t talk about sex never mind find the confidence to refuse or report unwanted sex, according to a new report.

The young people said they do not expect to make or receive verbal requests for sex and so consent to sex is largely “unspoken” meaning they find violations hard to define. The study found that most young people had drunk alcohol before sex and this often meant that victims of non-consensual sex felt uneasy and under confident about reporting unwanted advances.

Many young people also held a very narrow opinion of what constitutes sexual assault believing that it was only vaginal rape. It also found young people still have a highly stereotyped notion of sex, where it’s expected that sex is instigated by the man while the woman is the “gatekeeper”.

The Rape Crisis Network (RCNI), which is publishing the Young People, Alcohol and Sex report completed at NUI Galway, has recommended that work be done with young people on how to negotiate consent in relationships and during various types of sexual activities.

It also said young people need to gain a greater understanding of what constitutes sexual violence and how they can report it to authorities as well as knowing the risks of alcohol.

RCNI executive director Fiona Neary said the young people who took part in this research said “they were wholly unprepared for the task of negotiating sexual consent and thus were at risk of sexual violence”.

“Naming crimes of rape and sexual violence remains very difficult for young people, other than in a far too narrow, uninformed manner. Growing up in a binge drinking culture for young Irish people means that reporting crimes and concerns is rarely seen as an option — leaving young sex offenders free to reoffend,” she said.