Hildegarde Naughton

The hub is being developed by the Department of Justice and the Department of Further and Higher Education in partnership with the National University of Ireland Galway (NUIG) and it will aim to improve the understanding of the meaning and importance of consent.

There will be a dedicated website with comprehensive resources which have already been developed by NUI Galway’s active consent research team, as well as newly designed resources specifically created for the project.

The new content will include eLearning resources on consent, a video series, and training resources for advocates and young people.

For higher education staff, there will also be three tiers of engagement available on the hub. This will provide awareness of key issues, education for decision-makers and leaders on the promotion of consent, and training for those involved in culture change, awareness-raising, or disclosures.

Hildegarde Naughton, minister of state at the Department of Justice, said: “There can be no place for any forms of sexual violence and harassment in our society, and there can be no room for doubt or ambiguity on the meaning and importance of consent.

“We must improve people’s understanding of what consent is, and what healthy consent looks like. This initiative will be an excellent resource for the third level sector and beyond.

“It is an important commitment in Supporting a Victim’s Journey, the Department of Justice roadmap to improve the justice system for victims and vulnerable witnesses in sexual violence cases, and will contribute to our national campaign on consent later this year.”