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testimonies

The following testimonies of sexual assault were the bedrock of the campaign to mandate consent education in the national curriculum. They were voluntarily sent to Teach Us Consent by those who emphatically believe that inadequate consent education was the reason for the sexual abuse they experienced during or soon after school. Indivually and collectively, these lived experiences were pivotal in laying bare the breadth and depth of rape culture to policy makers in Australia.

Please note dates are the graduating years. Victim-survivors and perpetrators will remain anonymous.

Trigger warning: sexual assault
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Killarney Heights

My ‘best’ guy friend from school and I were sleeping in the same bed a schoolies and I woke up to him pushing his penis into me and trying to kiss me. I had no idea...

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Loreto Normanhurst

Barker boy. I was in year 7, he was in year 9. we had gone to primary school together, so I trusted him and thought of him as my friend. We lived near each other and u...

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Kelvin Grove

I was drunk at a party and a guy I trusted took advantage of the situation and ignored me when I said no. I said no so many times. He didn’t listen and didn’t stop. Th...

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Loreto

I have been sexually assaulted by a number of people across my life. the far most damaging assault to me was my ex boyfriend. we were together for about 14-15 mon...

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Nelson College for Girls

I lost my virginity in a public park age 14 in the company of a group of friends. I didn't have the skills to say no. I want my daughter to be raised with the educati...

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Mosman High School

I ended up going back to the house of a boy from my year after a night out. I was so drunk I don’t remember going to his place, but I remember him insisting on takin...

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MLC

I was 16 at the time. A Trinity boy, who was a close friend, sexually assaulted me in my sleep. I found out after he confessed this to me the next day. I didn’t know h...

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Pittwater House

I met a seemingly sweet guy from Bally Boys on a night out in Manly. I was quite drunk at the time and we ended up hooking up. I insisted that we use a condom and h...

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Pacific Lutheran College

I was assaulted many times during high school. The first was when the boy I was dating (I was 12) was going around calling me frigid for not “getting with him” so he a...

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Wodonga Senior Secondary College

When I was about 15 years old I got drunk at a party on New Year’s Eve, I ended up leaving the party to stay at a friends house but after having an argument w...

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Abbotsleigh

When I was in year 8 I was having a sleepover with one of my girlfriends and we were skyping some of our friends who went to Knox. They insisted we play truth or dare...

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Willetton Senior High School

I was sexually assaulted when I was 13 years old by someone with a very high profession, in which both my parents and I trusted him. Last year’s social dance pract...

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Luther College

I was raped earlier this year. Everything about the experience and the aftermath was and still is harrowing. The police process, the therapy, the previous trauma th...

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Academy of Mary Immaculate

I was groomed by a teacher. I was 15 when he told me I looked 'so beautiful yesterday' referring to the day prior which was a casual-clothes day. FIFTEEN. Over the...

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Pittwater High School

I was away with a bunch of friends and got extremely intoxicated to the point I have absolutely no memory. I woke up the next morning to be told by my friends that I...

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Santa Sabina College

It was after our year 10 formal in 2020, where there was a massive afters party at one of the girl's houses. I was drunk and a guy from Cranbrook (who was a friend...

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Diocesan School for Girls

I was sexually assaulted in 2012 when I was 16 years old. A girl at school I had recently become friends with invited me to her birthday party at her house which I wen...

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Mount Albert Grammar School

Whatever I was taught about consent at MAGS was minimal and unmemorable. My lasting memory was "no means no" and that's about it. I do, however, remember that a...

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SCEGGS Darlinghurst

I went to a party with friends and while I was dancing a guy kept groping my ass. I kept pushing his hand away telling him to stop and he wouldn’t. It took me moving...

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Hills Sports High School

I was at a friends dads 50th birthday and her brothers friend kept hitting on me. I was very clear I wasn’t interested - he took my rudeness towards him as “playing ha...

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St John Fisher College

I was invited to a semi-formal at another all boys catholic school in Brisbane by a friend of mine. I had comments made about me from other boys at the school about m...

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Scotch Oakburn College

I was 14, under the duty of care of my teachers on a school trip. my best friend leant over me to copy my answers and touched me under the table. i froze completely. i...

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Kilvington Grammar

In primary school, the boys in my year level would grope and kiss girls without their consent. We thought it was normal and just laughed about it, but I realise now ho...

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Woodvale High School

It took me 8 years after being raped to find the courage to tell someone what happened to me. He was my “friend” and asked me over his house to talk after a funeral. H...

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