London: Children from the age of 11 in Britain are to be taught about the difference between rape and consensual sex amid concerns that teenagers are coming under unprecedented pressure to have intercourse at an early age.
The classes will begin this year and will teach children how to recognise and respond to sexual pressure, coercion and manipulative techniques, including lying, 'The Sunday Times' reported.
In an article for the newspaper to mark International Women's Day, UK education secretary Nicky Morgan writes: "We have to face the fact that many pressures girls face today were unimaginable to my generation and it's our duty to ensure that our daughters leave school able to navigate the challenges and choices they'll face in adulthood."
One of the techniques that could be employed is "conscience alley", a gathering originally devised to help actors come to terms with their characters, but soon to be used in English schools to teach children about the dangers and dilemmas of consenting to sexual intercourse.
It is all part of a new government attempt to encourage discussion of difficult subjects such as rape, coercion and at what point teenagers are capable of agreeing to sex.
These so-called consent classes may be taught in English schools soon after the Easter school holidays, after concerns that teenagers are coming under unprecedented pressure to have intercourse at an early age.
Parents, teachers and government officials are also increasingly concerned about the prevalence of porn and sex-ting in children's lives.