It is Chanel Contos, who a few years ago started the movement “Teach Us Consent” and lately has put out a book “Consent laid Bare”.
These days Chanel lives in Britain and shares her time between London, Sydney and “also quite a bit in Canberra because of the politics of what I do”. It should be noted that her movement has achieved international appeal.
Her efforts and continuing campaign for education when it comes to consent has been applauded and she has received many accolades and recognitions.
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Listen here the whole interview in English with Chanel Contos- Online Version- Interview in English 18'.53''
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She has received the Australian Human Rights Commissions Young People’s Medal in 2021 and in 2023 she was named NSW Young Women of the Year for her persistent efforts towards eradicating rape culture.
Ms Contos says that “education is absolutely pivotal” in addressing issues related to consent,
“Firstly, it raises awareness about fact that this does still happen in Australia (sexual assaults), despite a lot of people believing that it doesn’t. Secondly, it educates people on what counts as a healthy relationship and thirdly, with education and talking about it and doing things like this, it also reduces shame around it, which is a pivotal part in what keeps this conversation silent and what allows it to continue going on”, says Ms Contos.
Source: Supplied / Kieran Gilfeather Photography
“I think the intangible impacts would never really be able to measure. I have had probably thousands of messages of people talking about how this changed something for them, whether it is a conversation with a family member they would not have before, or how they feel about themselves around this.
“Tangibly, we’ve also had consent education being mandated in the Australian National Curriculum from Kindergarten to year 10. We also had two law changes as a result of the Teach Us Consent Campaign”. We’ve also had lots of investment in this by the government, in terms of spending money on research, how to implement it and surveying it”, says Ms Contos.
Whilst her campaign has been overwhelmingly supported, there have been challenges, especially with toxic comments on social media.
“There are hate messages, or things like that. It is usually from people who are quite sad and lonely and have nothing better to do, than say something mean about someone on the internet”, says Ms Contos.
However, the biggest challenge has been speaking to people who have been victims of sexual assault and “hearing their stories and trying to hold space for them”.
“Because it happens so frequently and so much, the work I do attracts these sorts of stories. It can be very tiresome on my mental health. I overcome it with support from friends and family.
“I am doing the best I can to know that we can’t do anything for what has already happen, but we can all put everything towards trying to change what happens in the future, for the next generation”.
Source: Supplied
As for the publishing of her book recently, she describes it as a “surreal experience”.
“I am really privileged to be able to write it all down for people to read in their own time, at their own pace. So far it has had an incredible response. I have had meaningful messages of people saying how they found it very informative, very interesting, very important for parents and grandparents and very important to give to young people as well”, says Ms Contos, whose Greek origins derive from Laconia, Macedonia and Kastellorizo.
Whilst we were doing the recording of the interview, present in the studio was the mother of our interviewee, Ms Macedonia Contos.
“I am very proud for Chanel, for the change she has made, for the education to schools and for the changes she wants to achieve in the future, not only in Australia but in the whole world. She wants to improve the status and the respect shown to women”, Chanel’s mother told us.
Source: Supplied / Corrie Bond
