This is a story of a 16-year boy who had faced sexual harassment while travelling in a Bus. The story begins when the boy took a bus to go to his home. On his next seat, there came a 45-year-old man was sitting. When the bus gained some speed, the boy felt that something is touching his private parts. When he looked upon it the man who touching it, the boy tries resisting but the man was holding it too tight, he boy wanted to shout but the old man put fear his mind that no one will believe and they will blame on the boy only. The boy thought that he should change the seat but the bus was full and there were no vacant seats. The man was actually rubbing his private parts and asks the boy to do the same with the man’s parts also. But the boy rejected. The boy was trying to resist but the body didn’t allow him to do so as the body started getting sexual pleasure. When the whole process got over, the man said that you have given consent by remaining silent.
Although there was the silence on the part of the boy there was neither consent not will. If a boy gets hard or ejaculates during a sexual attack, it doesn’t mean that he enjoyed it either, they are just involuntary responses. They didn’t enjoy the attack, but they feel conflicted because their body responded in a way it reacted during a sexual act, i.e. their body turned against them. Even if it physically “feels good”, it doesn’t mean that he wanted it or enjoyed it. It is just a natural process on which the boy has no control.
So, this is the fear which comes in the mind of a child when he faced a sexual attack that no one will believe him or he had given consent by remaining silent. His behaviour starts getting the change with the days. The parents need to understand this behaviour and try to console him so that he feels free to share the story of sexual attack upon him.
Yes! Yes is the only word that validates consent.
Communication and consent can be express or implied. In this case, at two places it is mentioned that the boy tried to resist, which is clear and sufficient communication.
Moreover, in this case the boy was a minor and minor’s consent is ‘no consent in eyes of law’. So even if the boy had given consent, it would not have constituted for a valid consent.
It was great to finally read a piece from a boy’s perspective