Consent in sexual relationships misunderstood say Wiltshire charity
FearFree is urging more open conversations around boundaries
A Wiltshire charity is encouraging more open conversations around boundaries and consent in sexual relationships.
FearFree says acts such as choking and spitting during sex are being normalised.
The organisation has told Greatest Hits Radio that everyone should be able to give informed consent and make safe choices.
Sexual violence advisor Dione Mitchell said it's critical that we can trust people we are in relationships with.
She said: "It's the foundation of every single relationship you have, not just traditional relationships, friendships as well.
"Trust is incredibly important and once that's broken, it takes a really long time to recover."
Dione adds that consent is more complex that yes or no.
She insists that consent must be freely given, reversible, informed, enthusiastic and specific, with people knowing what they're agreeing to.
"It can be incredibly dangerous, especially when guidelines aren't set out," she said, adding that people need to have open discussions about what they are and aren't comfortable with.
Dione continued: "At the end of the day. We're all doing it in some capacity, so it needs to be said, it needs to be discussed, it needs to be an open dialogue.
"The more we talk about it, the less of a kind of pressure there is by society there, the more we discuss, people can understand other people's levels of consent."
This week is sexual violence awareness week (3rd - 9th February).
The charity is urging people who've suffered sexual abuse to reach out for help, insisting they will be listened to.
More information about sexual violence can be found here.