Stay up to date with notifications from The Independent

Notifications can be managed in browser preferences.

Finland to change law to recognise sex without consent as rape

'It’s about improving things for victims but also about the message the law sends - consent is not a grey area,' says campaigner

Chris Baynes
Thursday 17 January 2019 15:36 EST
Comments
Parliament in Helsinki, Finland, where the government is to tighten sexual offence laws
Parliament in Helsinki, Finland, where the government is to tighten sexual offence laws (Wikipedia / CC 3.0)

Your support helps us to tell the story

From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.

At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.

The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.

Your support makes all the difference.

Finland is to tighten its laws to ensure sex without consent or with children is always punishable as rape.

The government announced the proposed changes after 57,000 people signed a petition calling for sexual offence legislation to be revamped.

The country’s Nordic neighour, Sweden, passed a similar law last year.

Campaigners in Finland welcomed the move and said the #MeToo movement had prompted “a big change in the conversation” about consent.

“The main victory is the tone of the debate around the issue,” said Hanna-Marilla Zidan, who had proposed the law changes through a citizen’s initiative – a European Union mechanism through which people can put forward legislative ideas.

Speaking to Yle, Finland’s national broadcaster, she added: “It’s important because the law sends a message to society about what’s okay and what isn’t. It’s about improving things for victims but also about the message the law sends – consent is not a grey area legally.”

Finland’s justice department has appointed a working group to hand detailed proposals to parliament after the next election in April.

The changes will also ensure sex with minors is always classed as rape.

It follows an outcry over a case in which a man who sexually abused a 10-year-old girl could not be charged with rape under Finnish law.

Prosecutors appealed unsuccesfully last year for a higher sentence after the 21-year-old was jailed for three years for aggravated sexual abuse in 2016.

A spate of alleged sexual assaults by migrant men also prompted calls from right-wing MPs to allow authorities to deport foreigners convicted of sex crimes.

But Finland’s justice minister Antti Hakkanen stressed amendments to the law would be made under careful consideration, “not by reading incendiary headlines on social media and making rapid changes”.

Join our commenting forum

Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies

Comments

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in