Chanel Contos is an Australian student and sexual consent activist. Contos became known globally in 2021, following an outpouring of responses to her request for young Australian women to report on their sexual assault experiences. She is the founder of Teach Us Consent and chair of The Global Institute for Women's Leadership's Youth Advisory Committee.[1]

Early life and education

Contos grew up first in the outer Sydney suburb of Glenorie, New South Wales, then moved to Vaucluse, an affluent suburb in Sydney.[2][3] She attended Kambala School in Sydney,[4][5] before studying at the University of New South Wales for a bachelor's degree in commerce and arts.[4] In 2020, she began a master's degree in gender and education at University College London.[3]

Activism

In February 2021, Contos began an Instagram poll asking for stories from young Australian women who had been sexually assaulted.[3] After an outpouring of responses, she started the website Teach Us Consent, which hosted a separate online petition to ask for sexual consent education in Australian schools.[5][6][7] The petition generated a strong response, with over 44,000 signatures within a month of its launch, along with over 5,000 stories of sexual assault.[2][3]

In March 2021, the sex crimes unit of the New South Wales Police Force collaborated with Contos to ask young women who had filed stories of assault on Contos' site to also make informal reports to the NSW police department.[8] In April 2021, Contos proposed that an anonymous online tip site be set up to enable young victims of sexual assault to report assaults to the Australian police.[9] In May 2021, the then Australian prime minister Scott Morrison pledged to meet with Contos to discuss sexual consent education.[10]

Her book, Consent Laid Bare, was published by Macmillan Australia in September 2023.[11]

Recognition

In the 2021 Australian Human Rights Awards, Contos won the Young People's Human Rights Medal.[12] She was honoured as one of BBC's 100 Women in 2022.[13]

References

  1. ↑ "Porn leading to rising sexual violence and grooming in Australia, consent activist says". SBS News. 1 November 2023. Archived from the original on 1 November 2023. Retrieved 2 November 2023.
  2. 1 2 Kwai, Isabella (15 October 2021). "Push to Improve Sex Ed in Australia Comes From 10,000 Miles Away". The New York Times. Archived from the original on 16 October 2021. Retrieved 16 October 2021.
  3. 1 2 3 4 Chrysanthos, Natassia (5 March 2021). "It started on Instagram. Now Chanel's petition is leading a sex education revolution". The Sydney Morning Herald. Archived from the original on 12 September 2021. Retrieved 16 October 2021.
  4. 1 2 "Here's Why Chanel Contos Is Making Headlines". Girlfriend. Archived from the original on 18 March 2021. Retrieved 16 October 2021.
  5. 1 2 Thompson, Courtney (29 June 2021). "She started a reckoning, but Chanel Contos isn't finished yet". Marie Claire. Archived from the original on 29 June 2021. Retrieved 16 October 2021.
  6. ↑ "Sex education: Could a program in Mexico City provides a blueprint for Australia?". Monash Lens. 12 March 2021. Archived from the original on 16 October 2021. Retrieved 16 October 2021.
  7. ↑ Chrysanthos, Natassia (19 February 2021). "Hundreds of Sydney students claim they were sexually assaulted". The Sydney Morning Herald. Archived from the original on 24 August 2021. Retrieved 16 October 2021.
  8. ↑ Chrysanthos, Natassia (23 March 2021). "'We will listen': Police and consent activist launch operation to urge victims to come forward". The Sydney Morning Herald. Archived from the original on 11 June 2021. Retrieved 16 October 2021.
  9. ↑ Sakkal, Paul (3 April 2021). "'Not about sending teenagers to jail': Chanel Contos pushes for new sex crimes reporting". The Age. Archived from the original on 29 April 2021. Retrieved 16 October 2021.
  10. ↑ "Chanel Contos to meet Scott Morrison to discuss sex consent education reforms". the Guardian. 20 May 2021. Archived from the original on 9 September 2021. Retrieved 16 October 2021.
  11. ↑ Boecker, Brianna (15 September 2023). "'Consent Laid Bare': Chanel Contos' new book tackles outdated sexual norms". Women's Agenda. Retrieved 6 December 2023.
  12. ↑ "2021 Human Rights Award winners announced". Australian Human Rights Commission. Retrieved 18 September 2022.
  13. ↑ "BBC 100 Women 2022: Who is on the list this year?". BBC News. Retrieved 7 December 2022.
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