Strong Consent-Based Law Comes Into Force

Norway has become the latest country to widen the definition of sexual attacks by criminalizing sex without explicit consent, thus further protecting women against rape.

Under the Norwegian strengthened rape laws, anyone who has sex with someone who hasn’t consented to it by word or deed could be convicted of rape, even without the use of violence.

Up to now, to secure a conviction of rape, prosecutors had to show that an attacker used threatening behavior or violence or had sexual intercourse with someone unable to resist. In recent years, Denmark, Finland, Iceland, and Sweden all introduced consent-based rape laws. Sweden amended its legal definition of rape in 2018 to add sex without consent, which led to a 75% rise in rape conviction. As for Denmark, its law was changed in 2020, widening the circumstances of what could constitute rape.