Norway bill would define rape by lack of consent

Norway aims to define rape on the basis of lack of consent, instead of the law’s current focus on violence, threats or taking advantage of a vulnerable person, according to a bill published Thursday.

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A maximum jail term of up to six years could be imposed in cases of lack of consent under the proposed legislation, which follows a definition already applied in other nations.

“Consent means that someone has expressed, through words or actions, their willingness to engage in sexual relations — in other words only a ‘yes’ is a yes,” Justice Minister Astri Aas-Hansen said in a statement.

For an accused to be found guilty of rape, the bill seeks to introduce “lack of consent” from the victim as the main criterion.