WorldViews

27% of Europeans say rape

may be acceptable in some
circumstances
By Rick Noack November 29

LONDONArapevictimwasdrunk?Heorsheflirtedbeforehandorworerevealingclothing?InsomeEuropean
countries,upto55percentofthepopulationsayssuchcircumstanceswouldmakesexualintercoursewithout
consentjustifiableoracceptable,accordingtoasurveyconductedonbehalfoftheEuropeanCommission.Overall,about
onefourth27percentofallEuropeansheldthatopinion.
ThenumberismuchhigherinEasternandCentralEuropeannationssuchasRomania,Hungary,BulgariaandtheCzech
Republic.InRomania,morethan50percentofallrespondentssaidnonconsensualsexualintercoursewasacceptable
insomecircumstances.AlthoughtherewasacleardividebetweenEasternandWesternEurope,geographyalonedoesnot
explainthestrikingdifferences.
InBelgium,forinstance,40percentagreedthatsexualintercoursewithoutconsentisjustifiedinsomecircumstances,
whereasonly15percentsaidsoinneighboringNetherlands.
AcrossEurope,27percentofyoungmensaidthatsomesituationsjustifiedsexualintercoursewithoutconsent,compared
with20percentofyoungwomenwhowerepolled.Overall,nearly30,000Europeansrespondedtothesurvey.
Thereport'sauthorscalledformoreattentiononprotectingwomenfrombecomingvictimsofsexualassault.Thereare
stillMemberStateswherethereisconsiderableworktodoinaddressingperceptionsaboutgenderbasedviolence,
particularlytheideathatviolenceagainstwomenisoftenprovokedbythevictimorthatwomenoftenmakeupor
exaggerateclaimsofabuseorrape,theywrote.
Malta,Cyprus,Latvia,LithuaniaandEstoniawerenotedasbeingparticularlyworrisomeinthatregard.

TheE.U.reportcomesamidgrowingconcernaboutrecentsexualassaultsinEuropeancountriesbyrefugeesor
immigrants.InGermany,masssexualassaultsthispastNewYear'sEveledtoastrictersexualassaultlawthatalsoeased
deportationrulesforrefugeesconvictedofsexrelatedoffenses.
Thechanges,whichwereapprovedbyparliamentinJuly,appearedtobeaimedattwooverlappingtargets:closinglegal
loopholesamidcomplaintsthatGermancodesonsexualassaultsaretoolaxandaddressingmountingpublicbacklashafter

thecountryabsorbedthebulkofthewaveofmigrantsandrefugeesfromtheMiddleEastandbeyondlastyear.
Asaresult,countriessuchasGermanyalsointroducedcoursesforrefugeeswiththedeclaredaimofteachingnewcomers
respectforwomen.
ThesurveyreleasedbytheEuropeanCommission,theexecutivearmoftheE.U.,appearstoshowthatEurope'ssexual
assaultacceptanceproblemisnotlimitedtoimmigrants,however.TwentysevenpercentofallnativeGermanssaidsexual
intercoursewithoutconsentmaybejustifiedinsomecircumstances,anumberthatexactlymatchestheaverageacrossthe
E.U.
Readmore:
ThesearetheforgottensexualassaultvictimsinEurope
ThehideoussexualassaultproblematmusicfestivalsiscausingmajortensionsinEurope
Leakeddocumentsays2,000menallegedlyassaulted1,200GermanwomenonNewYearsEve

Rick Noack writes about foreign aairs and is based in Europe. Follow @rick_n

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