What is Consent
Consent is the free and current expression of a person's will to participate in a sexual activity. It must be explicit, verifiable, and can be revoked at any time.
Legal Definition
According to the Italian bill and the Istanbul Convention, consent is considered free and current when:
- •Free: expressed without coercion, threat, violence, abuse of authority, or exploitation of psycho-physical inferiority
- •Current: manifested at the specific moment of the act and maintained throughout its duration
- •Explicit: detectable as a clear expression of will, not implicit or presumed
- •Revocable: can be withdrawn at any moment
Frequently Asked Questions
Practical Scenarios
✓ Consent Present
Two people communicate clearly and verbally their mutual interest before and during intimacy. They explicitly ask if the other person agrees before proceeding.
✗ Consent Absent
One person does not respond or appears uncertain, but the other proceeds anyway interpreting silence as assent. The absence of an explicit "no" does not equal a "yes".
⚠️ Gray Zone
A person has accepted in the past but today hesitates or does not communicate clearly. In case of doubt, it is always necessary to stop and explicitly ask for confirmation.
Want to learn more?
The Consenso.Online app offers interactive scenarios, practical guides, and tools to communicate empathetically and consciously.
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