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Greens: 'prison for nonconsensual sex'

David Landes
David Landes - [email protected]
Greens: 'prison for nonconsensual sex'

The Green Party wants to strengthen language in Sweden’s rape law so that perpetrators can receive up to four years in prison for nonconsensual sex.

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“It’s high time to place responsibility where it out to rest: with the perpetrators, not the victims,” writes Green Party leader Peter Eriksson in Svenska Dagbladet (SvD).

According to Eriksson, despite a tenfold increase in the number reported rapes in Sweden since 1965, the number of rape convictions has remained between 100 and 200 per year.

He argues that Sweden’s current rape laws put more emphasis on the level of violence and whether she is in a “helpless” state, rather than consent, which results in most rape cases never making it to trial.

“Only 10 to 12 percent of the complaints lead to charges,” writes Eriksson.

“The young women who are most affected deserve better legal protection.”

As a remedy, the Green Party proposes changes to Sweden’s current laws which would give more weight to consent in determining if a crime is committed.

“Nonconsensual sex should be designated as sexual exploitation,” Eriksson writes.

“Sexual exploitation can occur without the use of threats or violence. Nor is it always the case that a victim is blind drunk or in some other way according to the law in a helpless state.”

The Green Party plans to formally present its proposal to the Riksdag for consideration later this autumn.

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