Jo Robertson: therapist and parenting educator on the Government making consent education compulsory

There's some disappointment from a sexual education expert over new Government curriculum changes.

Education Minister Erica Stanford has released her draft Year 1-to-10 curriculum for six months feedback from schools and educators. 

A key change is making consent education compulsory in health and physical education. 

But therapist and parenting educator Jo Robertson says the guidelines don't mention the word 'consent' until Year 3. 

"We need kids to know that if somebody touches their body that that's sexual harm and that's not okay. So for me, it doesn't quite meet the mark."

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
Now, the new curriculum for years ten to zero to
ten rather has just been released and it includes sex said,
and that includes consent being taught to kids as young
as five. Joe Robertson is a sex and relationship therapist and.

Speaker 2 (00:11):
Is with us. Now.

Speaker 1 (00:12):
Hey, Joe, Hi, Now look, I've had a look at
this and it seems to me like a pretty smart
way of starting the kids to you know, learning about
this year one, two, three, It teaches them about keeping
themselves save four five sex, It teaches them about keeping
other people save. Is that about the way you should
be doing it?

Speaker 2 (00:29):
Ah? I think, to be honest, I'm attached disappointed. You know,
they don't use the word consent until year three. They
don't use the word bodies till year four, and they
don't use the word genetal or till year eight. So
I'm concerned that they're using really vague terminology. They're giving
really vague guidelines, but not where it's actually going to

(00:49):
make a difference, which is then what we need kids
to know that if somebody touches their body that that
sexual harm and it's not okay. So for me, it
doesn't quite meet the mark.

Speaker 1 (00:58):
When do you think you start teaching kids like no
one should touch your privates.

Speaker 2 (01:04):
Ah, from when they can speak. You know, most of
our two year olds are three year olds. They're asking
about bodies, they're touching their siblings' bodies, they're touching your body,
you know. And so that's the beginning of consent education.
So to not use the word consent until year three
is which is my son's in year three, he's eight.
That feels really late to me. Yeah, okay, what about
the digital stuff, you know, teaching the kids about sending

(01:26):
each other nudies and stuff like that, When does that happen? Yeah,
So they've put it at year eight, so they've said
this is the time to talk about porn. They've talked
about sharing nude images and what is and is it okay?
And I'm glad about that. I think the piece that's
worrying for me again is that the average age that
a child in New Zealand sees porn will be twelve,
So you've got about fifty percent of them prior to

(01:48):
year eight. Seeing that, you don't have to use the
word porn to talk about sexual content online, so you
can talk about it younger than that. You can say
things like if you see videos or photos of people
one without their clothes on.

Speaker 1 (02:01):
So there were ways that they could do.

Speaker 2 (02:02):
That without being explicit, but they've chosen not to.

Speaker 1 (02:05):
All right, Joe listen, Thanks very much. I really appreciate
your take on there. That's Joe robertson sex and relationship therapist.

Speaker 2 (02:10):
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Speaker 1 (02:14):
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