Helping young people understand the rules about sexual consent and sexting

The Murray Mallee Community Legal Service has developed two friendly and easy to follow videos for teens with an intellectual disability, or on the Autism spectrum, on the topics of sexual consent and sexting. Funded by a grant from Victoria Law Foundation, the resources aim to empower young people with legal knowledge to improve decision making and reduce their risk of becoming victims or breaking the law. Included with the videos are fact sheets that will assist teachers, parents & carers and wellbeing staff with further information about the topics.Why is this important? Research by the Australian Human Rights Commission in 2014 found that 1 in 4 people who report sexual assault are people with disabilities and 9 in 10 women with intellectual disability or on the Autism spectrum have been sexually abused. One of the most significant factors in the sexual victimisation of individuals with intellectual disability or on the Autism spectrum is their lack of knowledge about acceptable behaviour. Faced by the lack of resources focusing on legal information specifically for these young people, the Murray Mallee Community Legal Service developed these materials. The resources can be located on the Murray Mallee Community Legal Service website