The “16 days” campaign – What is consent?

04 12 2025

Consent is an informed, voluntary and unequivocal ‘yes’. In the intimate sphere, but also in the digital, private and professional sphere, a lack of consent implies a violation of boundaries and is treated as a form of violence. Consent education helps to create a culture of respect: it teaches communication, understanding of boundaries and responsibility.

Consent is one of the core concepts in anti-violence education. It is not only a legal issue, but above all a question of respect, autonomy and subjectivity of the other person. We remind you: only “yes” means “yes”.

Consent must be:

• voluntary – given without pressure, blackmail, fear, dependence, coercion, manipulation or deception;
• informed – the person knows what they are agreeing to, understands the situation and the consequences;
• reversible – can be withdrawn at any time;
• restricted – agreement to one activity is not agreement to another;
• enthusiastic – silence, non-objection and passivity is not consent.

Consent does not exist where fear, relationship inequality, dependency (e.g. professional or academic), alcohol, drugs, disorders of consciousness are present. Consent is a process of communication and careful examination of the other person’s boundaries. Research shows that a lack of education about consent correlates with an increase in sexual violence and harassment. 36% of young people in the EU cannot clearly define consent or misinterpret the lack of it [1].

How to be sure that a relationship and its boundaries are consensual?

• ask instead of assuming,
• respond to non-verbal signals,
• regularly check on the other person’s mood,
• accept refusal without discussion, negotiation or pressure,
• remember that consent can change at any time.

It is worth remembering that persons whose boundaries have been crossed are subject to legal protection.

The amendment to the Polish criminal law, which came into force in 2025, revised the definition of rape, basing it on the lack of consent of the victim as a key element of the crime. The new wording of Article 197 of the Penal Code states that rape is bringing about sexual intercourse by violence, unlawful threat, deception or otherwise despite the lack of consent. Other sexual acts without consent may also be considered as an act of Article 198 of the Penal Code – sexual exploitation of helplessness or insanity – and Article 199 of the Penal Code – sexual abuse of a relationship of dependence or exploitation of a handicap.

Consent applies not only to physical contact, but also to consent to sharing intimate material, recording or transmitting nudity and sexual activity. Lack of consent makes such an action a criminal offence. Article 191a of the Penal Code prohibits the recording of an image of a naked person or a person in the course of sexual activity without their consent and this act violences other criminal and civil law provisions relating to personal data, personal rights and the right to an image.

Consent is the foundation of safe, equal and reciprocal relationships. It is everyone’s right to decide about their bodies, boundaries and intimacy – its absence is violence.

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We would like to remind you of reliable sources of information and places where you can find help:

Feminoteka Foundation supporting women experiencing violence, providing free legal, psychological and therapeutic assistance

Feminoteka Foundation women’s helpline 888 88 33 88 free, confidential and professional help offered by Feminoteka Foundation experts to women who have experienced violence

Women’s Rights Centre support for women whose rights are violated, in particular women experiencing violence, free psychological, legal and social assistance, civic and professional advice

Blue line number 800 120 002 free and confidential support of the Polish National Referral Service for Victims of Family Violence “Blue Line”.

Help map – an interactive map of Poland, containing information about places where women can obtain legal, psychological, social support or accommodation, created by the Czas Kobiet Foundation

Information on support institutions at the University of Warsaw can be found here.

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[1] FRA, Criminalising rape based on lack of consent in the EU, 2022.

Compiled from: Autonomy Foundation, https://kampania16dni.pl/zasoby-edukacyjne/zgoda-tylko-tak-znaczy-tak/