I was on BBC Woman’s Hour, and what’s next for our petition

Dear supporters,

Thank you so much for backing our petition. Over 109,000 of you have now signed, and I’m truly grateful.

As part of Woman’s Hour’s 80th birthday celebrations, I was invited to be a guest on the show, hosted by Anita Rani.

The BBC commissioned a poll of 2,000 women, which found that more than one in three have felt unable to say no in a sexual encounter, and over a quarter said this had happened multiple times. The figures are even higher for younger women: 44% of women aged 18-29 and 45% of women aged 30-45 have felt unable to say no at least once.

This is deeply linked to my petition. In England, the law ends compulsory Relationships and Sex Education (RSE), which includes lessons on consent, at age 16. Our petition calls for this vital education to be compulsory all the way up to 18.

On the show, we talked about the role education can play in preventing violence against women and girls, and in protecting children more broadly. I spoke about the importance of a cultural shift in challenging misogynistic attitudes, and acknowledged that education is only one part of a whole-society approach. Misogyny is a systemic problem that goes beyond individual attitudes, so education has to sit alongside changes to the structures and institutions that allow it to persist.

What happens next

One route to making this petition a reality is Alistair Strathern MP’s Private Member’s Bill, which would change the law on this issue. It will be voted on on 4 December 2026. I will shortly be sharing a link so you can take action and write to your MP, asking them to back the bill.

Young people deserve the knowledge and language to understand consent, healthy relationships and so much more. Together, we can make that happen!

Listen to the episode: Spotify or on BBC Sounds.

Thank you again for standing with me, 

Faustine