One in four young people in their 20s has had unwanted sex, NRK revealed in connection with the series I»nnafor» in 2020. 42 percent of the women answered that they had had unwanted sex, and 37 percent of these said that it had happened while they slept or were intoxicated. The same number answer that they said no, but that they were not heard.

The rape provision in the Norwegian Penal Code requires that it must be proven that violence, or threats have been used, or that the person was unconscious or asleep. Sweden has had a consent law since 2018, and similar laws have been introduced in Canada, Ireland, Belgium, Germany, England and Scotland. After Sweden introduced its law, more people are convicted of rape, and the penalties are stricter. The number of convictions within various rape categories has increased by 75 percent since the law came into force.

The debate about consent law in Norway has been going on for several years, and got a new wind in the sails after #MeToo. Opponents of such a law point out that the evidentiary situation in rape cases is challenging, and that it will focus on the victim’s consent rather than the perpetrators’ action, and thereby make the burden of reporting greater. Proponents believe that a consent law will both set the standard and clarify where the line goes, and at the same time lead to fewer rape cases being dropped.

Should Norway introduce a consent law?