Student and activist Chanel Contos is the founder of Teach Us Consent, an organisation fighting to make consent education a standard in Australian schools and eradicate the normalisation of sexual violence.
In 2021, Chanel took to Instagram to ask other young Australian women to share their stories of sexual assault from when they were at school.
Her post went viral.
Overwhelmed, but unsurprised by the response, Chanel launched a petition calling for greater consent education across Australia. The petition, which gathered over 44,000 signatures, and a further 6,600 personal stories of sexual assault were presented to MPs around the country.
Chanel’s book, Consent Laid Bare: Sex, Entitlement & The Distortion of Desire questions whether consent is possible in a world where female sexuality has been hijacked by forces such as porn, patriarchy and male entitlement. Her work encourages readers to confront rape myths and advocates for the respect of women’s sexual autonomy, promoting the development of healthy and respectful relationships.
Chanel’s advocacy earned her the 2021 Young People’s Human Rights Medal.
Chanel also serves as the chair of the Youth Advisory Committee for the Global Institute for Women’s Leadership, making her a powerful voice on both national and international stages.
