[[{"type":"media","view_mode":"content_original","fid":"86099","attributes":{"class":"media-image"}}]]An anti-rape video that uses tea as a metaphor for sex has made a splash on social media.
The short cartoon, called Tea and Consent, has been released by Thames Valley Police as part of the #ConsentIsEverything campaign, which aims to give people a better understanding of what constitutes consensual sex.
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
"You can make them a cup of tea or not," the video warns in one example of the tea-as-sex metaphor. "But be aware that they may not drink it. If they don't, then this is the important bit: don't make them drink it."
Another scenario cautions against forcing an unconscious person to drink tea. "If someone said yes to tea, started drinking it and then passed out before they'd finished it, don't keep on pouring it down their throat," the voiceover explains.
The cartoon's tagline 'Consent: it's as simple as tea' reflects a concerted effort on behalf of police forces to clarify the legal ground surrounding sexual assault, especially when it involves alcohol or other factors that may cloud the understanding of consent.
In case of doubt, the video urges erring on the side of caution, telling viewers that while it may be "kind of annoying" if someone changes their mind about wanting 'tea', no-one is under obligation to drink it.
Rape Crisis regional co-director Christina Diamandopoulos was among those welcoming the video, telling the BBC that "for too long there have been myths around the subject of consent, particularly that it is a 'grey' area".
-
5 health-conscious cartoons about anti-vaccine rhetoricCartoons Artists take on RFK Jr's militant methods, the viral lottery, and more
-
September 13 editorial cartoonsCartoons Saturday's political cartoons include court-approved racial profiling and America's moral compass
-
Giorgio Armani obituary: designer revolutionised the business of fashionIn the Spotlight ‘King Giorgio’ came from humble beginnings to become a titan of the fashion industry and redefine 20th century clothing
-
Dash: the UK's 'flawed' domestic violence toolThe Explainer Risk-assessment checklist relied on by police and social services deemed unfit for frontline use
-
The ethics behind facial recognition vans and policingThe Explainer The government is rolling out more live facial recognition technology across England
-
The Met police's stop and search overhaulThe Explainer More than 8,500 Londoners have helped put together a new charter for the controversial practice
-
NCHIs: the controversy over non-crime hate incidentsThe Explainer Is the policing of non-crime hate incidents an Orwellian outrage or an essential tool of modern law enforcement?
-
The new powers to stop stalking in the UKThe Explainer Updated guidance could help protect more victims, but public is losing trust in police and battered criminal justice system
-
'Warriors' vs 'guardians': the pitfalls of police recruit training in the USIN DEPTH American police training fails to keep pace with the increasingly complex realities that today's officers face
-
Derek Chauvin, killer of George Floyd, reportedly stabbed in prisonSpeed Read Chauvin was convicted of Floyd's murder in 2021
-
Nicola Bulley: police under fire for releasing personal informationSpeed Read Disclosure was 'avoidable and unnecessary' and led to 'breakdown of public confidence', College of Policing finds
