Think about the words “yes” and “no”. We’ve been saying them for as long as we can remember; from the moment we could speak and understand. To say yes is to agree. To say no is to disagree.
‘No’ does not mean yes, it does not mean that the girl is shy, it does not mean convince me, it does not mean keep persuading me, it does not mean I’m asking for it. So why, is it so hard for men to understand the meaning of yes and no when it comes to consent or in general too?
A woman saying ‘no’ to the sexual advances of a man has one and only one meaning – that she is not open to such sexual activity, added Himachal Pradesh High Court. Being drunk doesn’t guarantee consent. Being passed out doesn’t guarantee consent. Reluctance doesn’t guarantee consent.
However someone may dress or wherever they may go, yes will always mean yes and no will always mean no. A “no” does not mean the girl is shy or asking the man to convince her, the Court said emphasising that neither the absence of resistance nor the unwilling submission implies consent for sexual activity. When a woman says no, the man has to stop.
However, the absence of a proper curriculum for sex education, society is failing women time and again.
Lawcutor 