It’s split into four distinct categories, but we’re really only interested in the last one: education. Victim care and harsh punishments are important in the aftermath, and our infrastructure could always be safer, but we ultimately want a society that understands sexual violence, and understands why it is unacceptable.

And so it surprised us to see that NUS has decided to … enforce a compulsory module on ‘Respect and Consent’ for the entire university.

*big sigh*

The best way to ensure no Singaporean does what you want them to do, is by forcing them to do so.

Since time immemorial, we have hated being told what to do. Despite this, the “father knows best so just do it” mentality has trickled down from our state to its various institutions, even though such efforts often backfire. This happens especially when young adults—arguably one of the most recalcitrant demographics—are the target audience.

Look no further than the SGSecure debacle. Servicemen were forced to download the application, and allegedly threatened with late bookouts or punishments if they didn’t do so. The result? Hundreds of terrible ratings with the NSFs displaying their displeasure, and many didn’t even understand what the app was supposed to do.

Even the good reviews are mostly fake, each of them pieces of satire that strain the imagination to conceive.

Should consent education be just as trivialised?