Download – Let’s Respect Consent
Age: 13 years and above
Duration: 20 minutes
Information: Bakteens
What is this lesson about?
In this lesson, we talk about what consent means, how to understand whether or not someone has given consent to something, and why it is important to respect other people’s consent and boundaries.
Let’s Start a Conversation – 2 minutes
Ask the students:
“If your friend wants to take your phone, should they ask you first? Why?”
Listen to 2–3 responses.
Then ask:
“If you said ‘yes’ when your friend asked to take your phone yesterday, can they take your phone today without asking you?”
Use this discussion to help students understand that consent is not a one-time permission that remains valid forever.
“Is This Consent?” – 3 minutes
Read each of the following situations one by one. Ask students to think about whether consent has been given and respond.
“I ask my friend, ‘Can I hug you?’ They say, ‘Yes.’”
Yes.
“I ask someone, ‘Can I kiss you?’ They do not respond. They seem uncomfortable.”
No. Being silent does not mean giving consent.
Someone says, “If you really love me, you will do this.”
No. This is pressure or manipulation.
Someone initially says “yes,” but later says, “I don’t want to do this anymore.”
You need to stop at that point. A person has the right to change their mind.
Let’s Read the Bakteens Article – 4 minutes
Now show the students the “Let’s Learn About Consent” article. You can print it out or display it on a screen.
Go through the key points in the article that explain consent with the students.
At the same time, remind them of the situations discussed earlier and ask:
“Where can we see these points in the examples we discussed earlier?”
For example:
- Is staying silent the same as saying “yes”?
- If someone is frightened or pressured into saying “yes,” is that really consent?
- If someone says “yes” once, does that mean they will always say “yes”?
Give the students an opportunity to answer.
Then briefly remind them:
- Consent needs to be clear.
- Consent needs to be given freely and willingly.
- Consent cannot be obtained through fear, pressure, or force.
- A person can change their mind at any time.
Now Let’s Watch the Video – 5 minutes
Show the video included in the article.
Before starting the video, say:
“As you watch the video, see if you can identify anything that we have just read about and discussed.”
After the video, ask:
“What is the one thing you remember most from the video?”
Listen to 2–3 responses.
Now Let’s Do the Quiz – 4 minutes
Have the students complete the Quiz at the end of the Bakteens article.
There is no need to conduct the quiz as a test. You can also complete it together as a class.
After each question, ask one or two students:
“Why did you choose that answer?”
Final Message – 2 minutes
At the end of the lesson, ask the students:
“If you had to name one thing you want to remember from today’s lesson, what would it be?”
Listen to a few responses and finish with this message:
“We all have the right to make decisions about our own bodies. So, let’s learn to express our own consent, ask for the other person’s consent, and respect that consent.”
A Little Reminder for Teachers
This lesson does not need to become a long session where students simply read the article. Use the article as a tool to support discussion.
Question → Students’ ideas → Information from the article → Video → Discussion → Quiz
When the lesson is structured this way, students can actively participate by sharing their ideas and asking questions, rather than simply listening to information.
This resource has been developed based on the Age-Appropriate Sexuality Education, Communication Guideline for Sri Lanka.
Key Concept 6: Skills for Sexual Well-Being
Read more: Age-Appropriate Sexuality Education, Communication Guideline for Sri Lanka
