Friday, November 29, 2024 Durex, through its Birds and Bees Talk (TBBT) initiative, a life skills program by Reckitt, is introducing Asia’s first-ever Consent Café in 2024. This pioneering concept aims to create a platform for open discussions on consent, fairness, and healthy relationships. The café will make its debut at the renowned Hornbill Festival in Nagaland, taking place from December 1 to 10 at Kisama Heritage Village, Kohima.

Designed as an immersive experience, the Consent Café will use light, music, and art to engage visitors, encouraging reflection on the role of consent in cultivating respectful relationships. The initiative responds to concerning statistics around gender-based crimes in India, with over 28,800 gender-related complaints reported in 2023. This highlights the urgent need for widespread education on the subject, as emphasized by the company’s efforts to promote awareness and understanding.

Temjen Imna Along, the Minister of Tourism and Higher Education for Nagaland, will officially open the Consent Café, underscoring the critical need to address social issues like consent and healthy relationships. Alongside the café, TBBT is launching a series of initiatives aimed at promoting life skills and education on consent. A new WhatsApp chatbot will provide young people with scientifically accurate information on consent and personal development, in line with UNESCO’s global standards for comprehensive sexuality education.

The initiative w.