Under the leadership of the Ministry of Health and Prevention, National Sexual Health Week will take place from June 3 to 9, 2024. This event aims to highlight essential subjects such as contraception, sexually transmitted infections ( IST) and consent. In Reunion, the 3rd edition, organized by the CARESS 974 collective, with the support of ARS La Réunion, will focus on consent, with a view to combating violence in couple relationships.
To raise awareness and inform all Reunion residents, a communication campaign entitled “Kan mi di non, c’est No!” » is launched and many events are organized throughout the island.
This week of mobilization is an opportunity to address consent, emphasizing that discrimination, violence, and attacks, sometimes linked to sexual orientation, have consequences on the physical and mental health of individuals. Prevention stands are organized all over the island, to inform Reunion Islanders and encourage them to ask their questions without filter.
Sexual violence includes any sexual act, any attempt at a sexual act, any comment or advance of a sexual nature directed towards a person who does not consent or is not able to express it due to their vulnerability linked to age or their physical or mental condition, regardless of the relationship (married couple or not). They also include, and under the same conditions, sex trafficking, particularly against minors and vulnerable people, as well as various forms of violence against a person’s sex or sexuality.
Also categorized as sexual violence: exhibitionism, blackmail, threats or use of force to obtain an act of a sexual nature, sexual harassment, sexual assault and rape (Ministry of the Civil Service, Guide to prevention and treatment of situations of violence and harassment in the public service).
Giving consent means that you are okay with your partner, or someone you like, kissing you, touching you, or having sex with you. You are free to love and be loved, but you cannot force or be forced to love someone or perform sexual acts.
–> Your consent is required. In any relationship, both partners must agree.
–> Your consent is not final. You have the right to change your mind and you may agree to some actions but not others.
–> You always have the right to say no, at any time, even if you are in a relationship or married.
The Collective of Reunionese Actors Committed to Sexual Health (CARESS 974) brings together several sexual health stakeholders. The objective of the Collective is to promote a positive approach to sexual health, by organizing information, prevention and screening weeks throughout Reunion Island. With the support of the Réunion Regional Health Agency (ARS), these campaigns aim to ensure that the population approaches their sexuality in a respectful manner, without taboos, without discrimination, and without violence. CARESS 974 thus unites all those involved in sexual health around this same fight.
