Britain's government launched a series of advertisements on Tuesday warning men that they must get consent from their partner for sex, or risk going to jail. The ads, which will be published in several men's magazines, displayed in public toilets and broadcast in radio spots, target 18- to 24-year-old men, the Home Office said.
One magazine ad shows a man sitting on a bunk bed in a prison cell along with the warning: "If you don't get a 'yes,' who'll be your next sleeping partner?"
Another shows a woman with an "off limits" symbol on her underwear accompanied by the message: "Have sex with someone who hasn't said yes to it, and the next place you enter could be prison."
Conviction rates for reported rape cases across Britain have been falling.
The Sexual Offenses Act passed two years ago requires defendants in rape cases to show they had reason to believe their partner had given consent.
The campaign, which costs roughly 400,000 pounds (US$690,000, euro580,000) and runs through April, aims to inform young men that assuming consent for sex without the partner saying "yes" falls short of meeting those guidelines.
"I want young men to see these adverts and realize that they should not be having sex unless they have secured the consent of the other person," Home Office Minister Fiona MacTaggart said in a statement. "Our campaign is not saying, 'don't have sex'; it is about ensuring that sex is mutually agreed."
{{/usCountry}}"I want young men to see these adverts and realize that they should not be having sex unless they have secured the consent of the other person," Home Office Minister Fiona MacTaggart said in a statement. "Our campaign is not saying, 'don't have sex'; it is about ensuring that sex is mutually agreed."
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