Norway is on the verge of a significant legal shift after its parliament on Friday passed a bill redefining rape as any sexual act without clear consent, moving away from the traditional requirement of proving violence, threats, or exploitation of vulnerability.
The bill, which must pass a second vote before becoming law, aligns Norway with several European countries, including Sweden, Denmark, Greece, and Spain, that have already adopted consent-based rape legislation. Modeled on Sweden’s “only yes means yes” law, the amendment represents a growing shift toward victim-centered justice.
Under the new law, sexual consent must be clearly expressed either verbally or through an unmistakable gesture. Failure to obtain such consent would constitute rape, punishable by up to six years in prison.
Justice Minister Astri Aas-Hansen, who introduced the bill in April, emphasized the limitations of the current legal framework. “The law considers it rape only if there has been violence, threats, or if someone has taken advantage of another’s vulnerability,” she said. “But there may be other reasons why a person cannot, or fails to, refuse a sexual advance.”
The amendment would recognize that victims who are motionless, intoxicated, or frozen in fear, and thus unable to resist or say no, can still experience rape, even if physical force is not used.
If passed in the second vote, the change would be enshrined in Norway’s existing criminal code, marking a milestone in the country’s efforts to address sexual violence with greater sensitivity to the realities faced by victims.
Written By Rodney Mbua
