Amendment to the definition of rape in the Norwegian Penal Code

Among the topics being discussed today on social media is the law passed in Norway that changes the definition of rape.

𝗖𝗲 𝘀𝗽𝘂𝗻𝗲𝗮 𝗖𝗼𝗱𝘂𝗹 𝗽𝗲𝗻𝗮𝗹 𝗻𝗼𝗿𝘃𝗲𝗴𝗶𝗮𝗻?

The Norwegian Penal Code (Section 291) contained a definition of rape similar to that in Romania – 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘪𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘦𝘢 𝘶𝘯𝘶𝘪 𝘢𝘤𝘵 𝘴𝘦𝘹𝘶𝘢𝘭 𝘱𝘳𝘪𝘯 𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘴𝘵𝘳𝘢̂𝘯𝘨𝘦𝘳𝘦, 𝘤𝘶 𝘰 𝘱𝘦𝘳𝘴𝘰𝘢𝘯𝘢̆ 𝘤𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘯𝘶 𝘦𝘴𝘵𝘦 𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘴̦𝘵𝘪𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘢̆ 𝘴𝘢𝘶, 𝘤𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘥𝘪𝘯 𝘥𝘪𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘴𝘦 𝘮𝘰𝘵𝘪𝘷𝘦, so that we may all be united 𝘰𝘳𝘪 𝘧𝘢𝘱𝘵𝘢 𝘶𝘯𝘦𝘪 𝘱𝘦𝘳𝘴𝘰𝘢𝘯𝘦 𝘤𝘢𝘳𝘦, 𝘱𝘳𝘪𝘯 𝘷𝘪𝘰𝘭𝘦𝘯𝘵̦𝘢̆ 𝘴𝘢𝘶 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘱𝘰𝘳𝘵𝘢in the context of 𝘥𝘦𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘮𝘪𝘯𝘢̆ 𝘰 𝘱𝘦𝘳𝘴𝘰𝘢𝘯𝘢̆ 𝘴𝘢̆ 𝘪̂𝘯𝘵𝘳𝘦𝘵̦𝘪𝘯𝘢̆ 𝘶𝘯 𝘢𝘤𝘵 𝘴𝘦𝘹𝘶𝘢𝘭 𝘤𝘶 𝘰 𝘢𝘭𝘵𝘢̆ 𝘱𝘦𝘳𝘴𝘰𝘢𝘯𝘢̆ 𝘴𝘢𝘶 𝘴𝘢̆ 𝘦𝘧𝘦𝘤𝘵𝘶𝘦𝘻𝘦 𝘢𝘤𝘵𝘦 𝘤𝘰𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘱𝘶𝘯𝘻𝘢̆𝘵𝘰𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘶𝘯𝘦𝘪 𝘢𝘤𝘵𝘪𝘷𝘪𝘵𝘢̆𝘵̦𝘪 𝘴𝘦𝘹𝘶𝘢𝘭𝘦 𝘢𝘴𝘶𝘱𝘳𝘢 𝘴𝘢. The penalty is imprisonment for up to 10 years.

The Criminal Code in English can be read here:

https://lovdata.no/dokument/NLE/lov/2005-05-20-28/*#&#x2a

𝗖𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝗲𝗿𝗮 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗯𝗹𝗲𝗺𝗮?

There are other situations in which a sexual act may be committed without consent that are not covered by such regulations.

My colleagues have written extensively on these issues in the context of the legislative changes in 2023/2024, which were also discussed at the conference held in December 2022—a summary of these articles and a link to the conference recording can be found here: https://www.juridice.ro/…/10-carti-si-38-de-articole-de… (Section II. A)

𝗖𝗲 𝘀𝗲 𝘀𝗰𝗵𝗶𝗺𝗯𝗮̆?

According to the law adopted on June 6, 2025, officially available here: https://www.stortinget.no/…/2024-2025/vedtak-202425-112/

§ 291 𝘝𝘪𝘰𝘭𝘶𝘭

𝙊 𝙥𝙚𝙧𝙨𝙤𝙖𝙣𝙖̆ 𝙘𝙖𝙧𝙚 𝙞̂𝙣𝙩𝙧𝙚𝙩̦𝙞𝙣𝙚 𝙧𝙚𝙡𝙖𝙩̦𝙞𝙞 𝙨𝙚𝙭𝙪𝙖𝙡𝙚 𝙘𝙪 𝙘𝙞𝙣𝙚𝙫𝙖 𝙘𝙖𝙧𝙚 𝙣𝙪 𝙨̦𝙞-𝙖 𝙙𝙖𝙩 𝙘𝙤𝙣𝙨𝙞𝙢𝙩̦𝙖̆𝙢𝙖̂𝙣𝙩𝙪𝙡, 𝙛𝙞𝙚 𝙥𝙧𝙞𝙣 𝙘𝙪𝙫𝙞𝙣𝙩𝙚, 𝙛𝙞𝙚 𝙥𝙧𝙞𝙣 𝙛𝙖𝙥𝙩𝙚, 𝙚𝙨𝙩𝙚 𝙥𝙚𝙙𝙚𝙥𝙨𝙞𝙩𝙖̆ 𝙘𝙪 𝙞̂𝙣𝙘𝙝𝙞𝙨𝙤𝙖at 6 a.m.

𝘗𝘦𝘥𝘦𝘢𝘱𝘴𝘢 𝘦𝘴𝘵𝘦 𝘪̂𝘯𝘤𝘩𝘪𝘴𝘰𝘢𝘳𝘦𝘢 on the 10th of SeptemberHere is the answer:

𝘢. 𝘰𝘣𝘵̦𝘪𝘯𝘦 𝘶𝘯 𝘢𝘤𝘵 𝘴𝘦𝘹𝘶𝘢𝘭 𝘱𝘳𝘪𝘯 𝘷𝘪𝘰𝘭𝘦𝘯𝘵̦𝘢̆ 𝘴𝘢𝘶 𝘢𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘪𝘯𝘵̦𝘢𝘳𝘦,

𝙗. 𝙞̂𝙣𝙩𝙧𝙚𝙩̦𝙞𝙣𝙚 𝙖𝙘𝙩𝙚 𝙨𝙚𝙭𝙪𝙖𝙡𝙚 𝙘𝙪 𝙤 𝙥𝙚𝙧𝙨𝙤𝙖𝙣𝙖̆ 𝙘𝙖𝙧𝙚, 𝙥𝙧𝙞𝙣 𝙘𝙪𝙫𝙞𝙣𝙩𝙚 𝙨𝙖𝙪 𝙖𝙘𝙩̦𝙞𝙪𝙣𝙞, 𝙚𝙭𝙥𝙧𝙞𝙢𝙖̆ 𝙘𝙖̆ 𝙣𝙪 𝙙𝙤𝙧𝙚𝙨̦𝙩𝙚 𝙖𝙘𝙚𝙨𝙩 𝙡𝙪𝙘𝙧𝙪,

𝘤. 𝘪̂𝘯𝘵𝘳𝘦𝘵̦𝘪𝘯𝘦 𝘳𝘦𝘭𝘢𝘵̦𝘪𝘪 𝘴𝘦𝘹𝘶𝘢𝘭𝘦 𝘤𝘶 𝘰 𝘱𝘦𝘳𝘴𝘰𝘢𝘯𝘢̆ 𝘤𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘦𝘴𝘵𝘦 𝘪𝘯𝘤𝘢𝘱𝘢𝘣𝘪𝘭𝘢̆ 𝘴𝘢̆ 𝘴𝘦 𝘰𝘱𝘶𝘯𝘢̆ 𝘢𝘤𝘵𝘶𝘭𝘶𝘪 𝘴𝘢𝘶

𝘥. 𝘱𝘳𝘪𝘯 𝘷𝘪𝘰𝘭𝘦𝘯𝘵̦𝘢̆ 𝘴𝘢𝘶 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘱𝘰𝘳𝘵𝘢𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘢𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘪𝘯𝘵̦𝘢̆𝘵𝘰𝘳, 𝘥𝘦𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘮𝘪𝘯𝘢̆ 𝘰 𝘱𝘦𝘳𝘴𝘰𝘢𝘯𝘢̆ 𝘴𝘢̆ 𝘪̂𝘯𝘵𝘳𝘦𝘵̦𝘪𝘯𝘢̆ 𝘰 𝘶𝘯 𝘢𝘤𝘵 𝘴𝘦𝘹𝘶𝘢𝘭 𝘤𝘶 𝘰 𝘢𝘭𝘵𝘢̆ 𝘱𝘦𝘳𝘴𝘰𝘢𝘯𝘢̆ 𝘴𝘢𝘶 𝘴𝘢̆ 𝘦𝘧𝘦𝘤𝘵𝘶𝘦𝘻𝘦 𝘢𝘤𝘵𝘦 𝘤𝘰𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘱𝘶𝘯𝘻𝘢̆𝘵𝘰𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘶𝘯𝘦𝘪 𝘢𝘤𝘵𝘪𝘷𝘪𝘵𝘢̆𝘵̦𝘪 𝘴𝘦𝘹𝘶𝘢𝘭𝘦 𝘢𝘴𝘶𝘱𝘳𝘢 𝘴𝘢.

(Translated from Norwegian using deepl.com)

The amendment aligns with the approach of defining rape as the absence of consent (an article presenting the situation at the European level in 2023, here – https://www.sciencedirect.com/…/pii/S175606162400020X and a more recent one, here – https://www.amnesty.fr/focus/qu-est-ce-que-le-consentement?).

𝗖𝗲 𝗻𝘂 𝘀𝗲 𝘀𝗰𝗵𝗶𝗺𝗯𝗮̆?

– Rape is not punished more severely than before, and rape committed without consent carries a lighter sentence than rape committed through violence, threats, etc. 𝘔𝘢𝘹𝘪𝘮𝘶𝘭 𝘱𝘦𝘥𝘦𝘱𝘴𝘦𝘪 𝘱𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘳𝘶 𝘷𝘪𝘰𝘭𝘶𝘭 𝘥𝘦𝘧𝘪𝘯𝘪𝘵 𝘤𝘢 𝘪̂𝘯 𝘙𝘰𝘮𝘢̂𝘯𝘪𝘢 𝘪̂𝘯 𝘷𝘢𝘳𝘪𝘢𝘯𝘵𝘢 𝘵𝘪𝘱 (𝘥𝘦𝘤𝘪 𝘧𝘢̆𝘳𝘢̆ 𝘷𝘢𝘳𝘪𝘢𝘯𝘵𝘦 𝘢𝘨𝘳𝘢𝘷𝘢𝘵𝘦) 𝘦𝘴𝘵𝘦 𝘥𝘦 10 𝘢𝘯𝘪, 𝘤𝘢 𝘭𝘢 𝘯𝘰𝘪;

– The burden of proof is not reversed – this does not mean that whenever a person accuses someone of rape, the accused must prove that consent was given. 𝗩𝗮 𝘁𝗿𝗲𝗯𝘂𝗶, 𝗶̂𝗻 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝘁𝗶𝗻𝘂𝗮𝗿𝗲, the practice of consent– and in some countries, aspects related to probation have already been changed or are under debate, to allow probation to be adapted to the specific nature of this offense