‘Sex Must Be Voluntary’: Sweden Bolsters Rape, Sexual Abuse Laws

© Sabrina Vani / / Global Look Press

Sex without first getting explicit consent is to be criminalized in Sweden. The new bill was sent to lawmakers Tuesday, despite some deeming the law unnecessary.

Sweden already has extensive sexual assault laws, but country’s lawmakers want to further cement the need for consent in the hope that the new law will see more sexual assault cases being prosecuted. The government describes the bill as being “based on the obvious: sex must be voluntary.”

"Sex should be voluntary. Everything else is abuse," Justice Minister Morgan Johansson tweeted.

"I think it's important to reach that clarity in legislation," Johansson later added, Omni reports. "I think the number of crimes solved will increase. Particularly through the combination of stronger and broader legislation together with increased support for victims."

The bill went to the Riksdag, Sweden’s legislature, on Tuesday. Under the bill, consent can be given either verbally or through clear actions. The legislation will also get rid of the need to prove intent in rape cases, and introduce greater punishment for serious rape crimes.

Sweden's Council on Legislation has questioned the need for the bill, given much of what it entails is already covered by existing law. The government responded by altering parts of the draft after the Council sought clarification on what exactly was considered illegal. The basic principle of the bill remains unchanged though.

Johansson explained that it’s “willingness which decides if it’s an act of abuse or not,” reported the Local. “That’s different from current legislation, where it has to be shown that there was violence, a threat, force or that the plaintiff was in a particularly vulnerable situation.”

According to the bill, when assessing if participation in the sex act is voluntary, “it should be taken into account whether willingness has been expressed through words, actions or in another way.”

The government explained the bill is a response to an increasing number sexual offenses and the fact that “too few” of those offenses are being reported. “Reversing this negative trend requires both new legislation and changes in attitudes,” it said.

The bill also seeks to increase the maximum penalty for rape and rape of a child, and increase protection for sexual offenses against children in order to “avoid the problem of excessive emphasis being placed on the child's physical development.”

It will also provide support for victims at an earlier stage in the process. The government will commission an information campaign aimed at 13-25-year-olds, with SEK 5 million (€496,550) in funding already allocated.

South African Culture of Rape - Where Girls Carry Knives and Use Them

‘Lion Mama’ won’t face charges for killing daughter’s alleged rapist

By Tom Head 

A mother’s instinct is so incredibly powerful. When their child is in danger, they become superhuman. This is exactly what happened with an Eastern Cape Mom (dubbed ‘Lion Mama’) when her daughter was allegedly being gang-raped.

The wretched incident took place last month when the mother heard her daughter screaming for help. When she entered her room, it’s reported that she saw three men sexual assaulting the 27-year-old woman.

The bravery of ‘Lion Mama’

Lion Mama – who is still not allowed to be named – says she instinctively reacted, and fought off all of the men involved in the rape. When they tried to over power her, she was able to stab one of the assailants, fatally wounding him in the process.

In an incredible turn of events, the National Prosecuting Authority declined to proceed with the case against the mother as they said their chances of a successful prosecution were negligible.

Sandy McCowen, an eNCA reporter who was covering proceedings from the court, described what happens with Lion Mama now. She revealed that, despite her confession, there is ‘no likelihood’ that the prosecution can win this case.

“This is the final thing for her. The prosecution have looked at the case and the evidence involved. There is no likelihood that they can win this case, so therefore, they have struck this case off the roll.”

Community rallies round mother and daughter

The mother and her traumatized daughter have received an overwhelming amount of support since the incident. Initially, they were both threatened by family and friends of the men she wreaked revenge upon.

However, a crowdfunding page helped Lion Mama pay her bail, ease legal worries and even resulted in her receiving donations to renovate her house. The community spirit culminated in the mom receiving a huge cheer in the courtroom when she was allowed to go free.

The two other men mauled by the Lion are still in custody. They will now have their case heard in High Court. They are both expected to plead for bail.

Considering the mother and daughter were threatened by the families of the rapists, bail must be denied.

Eastern Cape, SA

Murder charge and jail sentence looms over 17-year-old girl who fought off her ‘potential rapist’

By Tom Head 

Image Credits: Barry Viljoen

The woman, who cannot be named for legal reasons, was on her way to a local tavern when she was attacked, according to the police.

In the subsequent struggle, the teenager managed to overpower the man she accuses of trying to rape her, stabbing the 21-year-old assailant to death in a bid to escape.

She then handed herself into the authorities of Lenyenye (Northern Limpopo), who had no choice but to charge her with the murder. Appearing in court, she was not asked to make a plea.

Police Colonel Moatshe Ngoepe stated that she was ‘visibly distraught’ upon arriving at the station, and can be assured that she will receive the ‘necessary care’ to cope with the situation.

The case has caused one hell of a moral dilemma. South Africa’s poor record on rape and recent rise in violence against women has elevated it out of any normal context, according to legal expert Mannie Wits

“When looking at a self-defence plea, the court broadly uses the test of what the reasonable man or woman would do in a similar situation”.

“The test of what a reasonable man in [for example], the UK would do in a similar situation to a man in South Africa is not the same. South Africans are living under fear, they overreact. This is not a normal society.”

BBC News correspondent Pumza Fihlani went past the moral debate and weighed up the legal implications of the 17-year-old’s situation:

“The country’s laws on self-defence have faced criticism in the past, with some legal analysts saying the law should offer more support to those forced to fight off attacks in a society with a high crime rate.

But some legal scholars have argued it is precisely because of this high crime rate that people should not be able to kill others with impunity and self-defense pleas should face high hurdles.”

That makes absolutely no sense whatsoever! Ideals are great but they are of little use if you're being raped or murdered.

Due to the defendant still being a minor, she will be assigned social worker and a trauma counsellor to help her prepare for her case.

Unfortunately, this case happened in early June, 2017, and I cannot find anything more recent. She was to appear in court on June 14th, but these is nothing on the internet that I can find since then.

If anyone can update me on this, I would appreciate that.

Limpopo, SA

The astonishing attitudes of South African men

toward rape

South Africa has one of the highest rates of violence towards women in the world and while there has been a decline in reported rapes from 2009 to last year, the true extent of the problem is not known. 

The 2015/16 crime stats had 42 595 rapes reported. It’s a scary stat.

Back in 2013, SkyNews put together a “snapshot” view of men’s attitudes towards rape. Their answers, in some cases, are chilling. Sky spoke to 38 men out of which as many as 28 said that they had raped a woman – some more than once. Some even explained how and why.

The news organisation admits that their method was “unscientific”, but the answers are still harrowing.

Here are some of the answers. 

Respondent number one – aged 34

Q: Did you have sex with a woman who didn’t want to?

A: Yes

Q: When was it?

A: 2011

Q: Would you call it rape?

A: Yes

Q: How many times have you raped someone?

A: Twice

Q: How did it happen?

A: We were having some beers in a tavern and I spent (money on) the lady but when (the) time arrived (to) go she refused. I had to use manpower to take her with me. We never got to my place so I decided to rape her. The second time it was the same woman again, we met at a shebeen and we had beers together, when she decided to leave the place I escorted her and along the way I raped her.

Q: Did she report the case?

A: No.

Q: Do you know why?

A: She told me that though I raped her what she has I now also have it.

Q: What did she mean by that?

A: She meant she was HIV positive.

Respondent number three – aged 38

Q: Have you ever had sex with a woman who didn’t want to?

A: Yes

Q: How did it happen?

A: I always wanted the woman but because (I) am ugly and I knew that if I (tried) to (proposition) her she (would refuse) … unless I have a lot of money to buy her. I knew where she lived and traced her movements and how many people she lived with in her shack, but I found out that her boyfriend only came (back at) month ends. I went to her place Friday night and it was raining so it helped me attack her well as no one else could hear me. I used a bolt cutter to gain entry, wielding a butcher knife. I told her not to scream until I leave her place.

Q: Did she open a (police) case?

A: I don’t know because I never got arrested for the rape.

Respondent number eight – aged 39

Q: Have you ever had sex with a woman who didn’t want to?

A: Yes

Q: How did it happen?

A: My ex-girlfriend’s sister lived with us in the same shack and when (I was) off her sister would be at work, so we watched TV together. I asked and promised to buy her expensive shoes if she slept with me. She refused and I forced myself on her and told her that if she talked about it I would chase both her (and) her sister, so she kept quiet.

Q: How do you feel whenever you see her after you did this?

A: I feel nothing bad about it.

Q: Why not?

A: I supported her at my place and I deserved to ask for a favour too.

Q: Do you call it rape?

A: No.

Q: But you forced yourself on her?

A: Yes.

Respondent number 11 – aged 26

Q: Have you ever had sex with a woman who didn’t want to?

A: Yes.

Q: When?

A: 2013.

Q: How did happen?

A: We are a gang and we steal and rape women. This year (in) February we went out, seven of us, to a busy tavern to rob people on the street and rape women. At about 12pm the woman walked out of the tavern alone going to an outside toilet. We followed her, three of us, and raped her.

Q: What happened after the rape?

A: We moved out of the area for a while but until now nothing has ever happened to us.

Q: Were you doing it for the first time?

A: No.

Q: What do you think about what you do to women?

A: We are gangsters and we love it.

Q: Don’t you think you could be caught and thrown in jail?

A: We aren’t afraid of prison.

Respondent number 12 – aged 34

Q: Have you ever slept with a woman who didn’t want to?

A: Yes

Q: When did it happen?

A: 2000

Q: How did it happen?

A: Fridays we went out to chill and drink some beers … after hours me and my friend we saw a young good-looking woman who was drunk on the street, we took her to our place and (raped) her in our shack for an hour. This became a habit and every Friday we made sure that we hung on at the tavern to pick up girls who were drinking after hours.

Q: How many times have you raped a woman?

A: Five times.

Q: Have you ever been arrested for any rape?

A: Once.

Q: Did you serve time for it?

A: Yes.

Q: How long?

A: Six years.

Q: Do you think it’s the right thing to do?

A: Why do women go to taverns in mini-skirts?

Q: What do you think they want?

A: To be raped.

Respondent number 16 – aged 38

Q: Have you ever slept with a woman who did not want to?

A: Yes

Q: How did it happen?

A: From a street bash where we all had … alcohol and slept at my friend’s apartment with three other girls who (were) friends of my friend’s girlfriend. This is where I took a chance after seeing that this other (person) was completely drunk.

Q: Were you doing this for the first time?

A: Yes.

Q: Do you call this rape?

A: Yes.

Q: Do you know people who do the same?

A: A lot of them.

NYPD Captain Under Fire for Saying Police ‘not too Worried’ About Date Rape Rise

© Reuters

A NYPD captain’s dismissive remarks about a 62.5 percent spike in reported rapes in 2016 has drawn a backlash. Peter Rose said the police were not worried about it because in most of the cases, the victims knew the perpetrators.

Rose commands the 94th Precinct, in the Greenpoint neighborhood in Brooklyn. In 2016, there were 13 rapes reports there, compared to eight in 2015, with three cases remaining unsolved. 

Rose described the situation to the news website DNAinfo ahead of a meeting with the community council as something the police are not concerned about.

“Some of them were Tinder, some of them were hookup sites, some of them were actually coworkers. It's not a trend that we're too worried about because out of 13, only two were true stranger rapes,” he said, adding that in many cases, victims would not cooperate with the investigation.

“Every rape should be investigated. I wish we could do more,” Rose added.

Later at the meeting on Wednesday, he reportedly made similar comments, implying that victims of rape by acquaintances are somehow less hurt than those targeted by strangers.

“They're not total abomination rapes where strangers are being dragged off the streets,” Rose said.

“If there's a true stranger rape, a random guy picks up a stranger off the street, those are the troubling ones. That person has, like, no moral standards,” he added.

Is he suggesting a date-rapist has moral standards? Seriously?

The apparent lack of compassion drew fire from public officials after the controversial comments went viral on Friday.

“The comments by the Captain do not represent the views of the mayor, our administration, or of an NYPD that is deeply committed to fighting for survivors of sexual assault,” New York Mayor Bill de Blasio's office said in a statement.

“Rape is rape, in New York City and everywhere else. The crime merits no moral qualification and does not involve shades of criminality or degrees of danger. In New York City, rape is aggressively investigated and prosecuted blind to the nature of the underlying relationship, and with an absolute focus on obtaining justice for the survivor and safety for our neighborhoods,” the mayor’s press secretary, Eric Phillps, said.

NYPD Deputy Commissioner Stephen Davis said Rose's comments “did not properly explain the complexity of issues involved with investigating rape complaints.”

“Every report of rape is thoroughly investigated by specially trained detectives in the NYPD's Special Victims Unit. All complaints of rape and other types of sexual crimes are taken seriously whether they are committed by domestic partners, acquaintances, or strangers,” Davis told the media.

Some women’s rights groups called for Rose to be dismissed for his inappropriate comments.

US statistics on perpetrators of rape are in line with what the NYPD precinct reported. According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, only about 14 percent of such crimes are committed by strangers. The victim support group RAINN - Rape, Abuse and Incest National Network, on the other hand, says 28 percent of rapes are committed by total strangers.

So using the CDC's figures, that would mean the NYPD are not too concerned about 86% of all rapes in the city. Chief Rose's comments may not represent the official attitude of NY city or even the NYPD, but I fear it reflects the attitudes of far too many people in the NYPD. An anonymous survey might be very interesting.

Culture of Rape Attitude Unchanged at Stanford; Rape Victim's Brilliant Response

Stanford rape case: Sex offender's dad says 6 months is too harsh for '20 minutes of action'

Ex-Stanford swimmer Brock Turner sentenced for sexually assaulting an unconscious woman in 2015

By Lauren O'Neil, CBC News 

'His life will never be the one that he dreamed about and worked so hard to achieve. That is a steep price to pay for 20 minutes of action out of his 20 plus years of life,' wrote Dan A. Turner of his son, Brock, who was convicted of sexually assaulting an unconscious woman on Stanford University's campus.'

The subject of sexual violence on campus is at the forefront of public consciousness once again this week as details spread online from the trial of a former Stanford University swimmer who was convicted of assaulting an unconscious woman behind a dumpster.


On Monday evening, the Stanford Department of Public Safety released Brock Turner's original arrest photo from Jan 18, 2015. (Stanford Department of Public Safety )

Brock Turner, 20, was arrested in January 2015 after two men riding bikes saw him "thrusting" on top of a motionless woman after a Palo Alto frat party.


Turner tried to flee when confronted by the men, who were graduate students at Stanford, but later said that the unnamed 22-year-old victim was conscious throughout the encounter.

Police say that she was found partially clothed and "completely unresponsive."

The Dayton, Ohio, native and Olympic hopeful withdrew from Stanford voluntarily after he was arrested and pleaded not guilty to three felony charges of sexual assault.

Tensions were high ahead of the "Stanford swimmer rape case" verdict when it came down more than a year later in March 2016 — and, for the most part, advocates for those affected by sexual violence seemed pleased when a California jury found Turner guilty of all charges.

And then came the sentence

Late last week, Santa Clara County Superior Court Judge Aaron Persky sentenced Turner to six months in county jail and three years' probation.

Turner must also complete a sex offender management program and register as a convicted sex offender.

One source indicated that he must remain on the sex offender register for life. This is the only part of the sentence that strikes me as being the least bit excessive. Ten years should be sufficient if he does not re-offend. 

Persky has no record of judicial discipline and had his defenders when the Associated Press contacted officials in the country on Monday.

Barbara Muller, a criminal defence attorney who works two weeks a month in Persky's court, says he "is definitely one of the fairest judges" in the county. "He considers all facts and is very thorough," Muller said. "He plays it right down the middle."

Still, some are urging for Persky's recall in Change.org petitions, and Stanford University law professor Michele Dauber, a friend of the victim, launched a campaign to remove Persky from the bench. Dauber didn't return phone calls and email inquiries from The Associated Press seeking comment Monday.

Professor Dauber should have her tenure revisited for her disgraceful behaviour. If she had not been a friend of the rapist, do you think she would care in the least about a 6 month sentence for rape? I suspect she would be outraged at the leniency.

Considering that the maximum sentence Turner could have received was 14 years in state prison (and that he'll likely only serve three months behind bars in total, according to the San Jose Mercury News), his punishment was widely decried as a "slap on the wrist."

The controversy heated up over the weekend after BuzzFeed News released the victim's full, 7,244-word-long courtroom statement online.

"One day, I was at work, scrolling through the news on my phone, and came across an article," reads an excerpt of the powerful and, at times, graphic piece. "In it, I read and learned for the first time about how I was found unconscious, with my hair dishevelled, long necklace wrapped around my neck, bra pulled out of my dress, dress pulled off over my shoulders and pulled up above my waist, that I was butt naked all the way down to my boots, legs spread apart, and had been penetrated by a foreign object by someone I did not recognize."

"And then, at the bottom of the article, after I learned about the graphic details of my own sexual assault, the article listed his swimming times," the statement continues. "She was found breathing, unresponsive with her underwear six inches away from her bare stomach curled in fetal position. By the way, he's really good at swimming."

As of Monday, the victim's deeply personal story had been viewed nearly six million times on BuzzFeed alone.

CNN anchor Ashleigh Banfield further exposed the victim's words on Monday afternoon by reading her entire statement live on air for the news network's viewers.

Outrage has now been swelling over what critics consider to be a light sentence for days, more and more so as the victim's letter circulates.

Another letter, however, is inspiring perhaps even more passionate responses right now — one that was penned by Turner's father. Santa Clara District Attorney Jeff Rosen confirmed to the Washington Post this morning that the letter, written by Dan Turner, is authentic.

The six-month jail term given to Turner, seen here on June 2 outside the Santa Clara Superior Courthouse, for sexually assaulting an unconscious woman after both attended a fraternity party is being decried as a token punishment. (Dan Honda/Bay Area News/Associated Press)

It was submitted to court before Turner's sentencing last week and appears to have first been shared on Twitter by Stanford law professor Michele Dauber, who helped draft new policies for dealing with sexual violence on the university's campus.

"As it stands now, Brock's life has been deeply altered forever by the events of Jan 17 and 18," reads the statement, in which the elder Turner argues that his son shouldn't be sent to jail. "He will never be his happy-go-lucky self with that easygoing personality and welcoming smile."

Neither will she!

And then, in what has become perhaps the most contentious part of the letter, the father attempts to explain why jail time isn't a fair punishment for his son.

"These verdicts have broken and shattered him and our family in so many ways," he writes of the convicted sex offender. "His life will never be the one that he dreamed about and worked so hard to achieve."

Neither will hers; so why should he be permitted to go on with no life-long consequences?

"That is a steep price to pay for 20 minutes of action out of his 20-plus years of life."

What about the price the victim has to pay. It is even steeper. The consequences of rape on a woman are extraordinary. They are life-changing and very rarely for the better. Where is the father's empathy for the victim? 

Dan Turner's entire letter can be read in full here, but we'll conclude with these words for the ex-Stanford swimmer. They were written by the case's victim:

You said, 'I want to show people that one night of drinking can ruin a life.' A life, one life, yours, you forgot about mine. Let me rephrase for you, I want to show people that one night of drinking can ruin two lives. You and me. You are the cause, I am the effect. You have dragged me through this hell with you, dipped me back into that night again and again. You knocked down both our towers, I collapsed at the same time you did. If you think I was spared, came out unscathed, that today I ride off into sunset, while you suffer the greatest blow, you are mistaken. Nobody wins. We have all been devastated, we have all been trying to find some meaning in all of this suffering. Your damage was concrete; stripped of titles, degrees, enrollment. My damage was internal, unseen, I carry it with me. You took away my worth, my privacy, my energy, my time, my safety, my intimacy, my confidence, my own voice, until today.

See one thing we have in common is that we were both unable to get up in the morning. I am no stranger to suffering. You made me a victim. In newspapers my name was 'unconscious intoxicated woman', 10 syllables, and nothing more than that. For a while, I believed that that was all I was. I had to force myself to relearn my real name, my identity. To relearn that this is not all that I am. That I am not just a drunk victim at a frat party found behind a dumpster, while you are the All­-American swimmer at a top university, innocent until proven guilty, with so much at stake.

I am a human being who has been irreversibly hurt, my life was put on hold for over a year, waiting to figure out if I was worth something.

With files from The Associated Press

Please join me in praying for this young woman, and also praying against the culture of rape in North American universities, and the insanely stupid practice of binge drinking. Turner is 100% responsible for the girl's rape, but it probably would not have happened had she not drunk until she passed out.

Attitudes in universities have to change toward women, but I don't see the possibility of that happening as long as pornography is so readily available to boys and young men.

‘Unsafe on Streets’: Danish Women ‘Sexually Harassed’ by Refugees in at Least 3 Towns

Migrant men see “a girl, they go nuts. 

They simply can’t handle it"

© Reuters

Danish women have reportedly been subjected to sexual harassment by asylum seekers in at least three towns, local officials said, adding that male refugees “have hard time respecting the opposite sex” while enjoying the Danish nightlife.

Several incidents took place in the town of Thisted, northern Denmark. Since November it has been hosting a refugee camp for 365 asylum seekers.

“Several young women have felt unsafe on the streets, where they have been accosted by asylum seekers. The same thing has happened on the dance floor out in the nightlife,” Lars Sloth, the director of the city’s children and families unit, told Ritzau news agency.

Several refugees from the camp were also detained for being intoxicated.

According to Sloth, there have recently been more asylum seekers who drink too much and have been put in detention.

So these are not Muslim terrorists or they wouldn't be drinking. Drinking is likely a new phenomena to them, so they are not equipped to handle themselves when drunk or drink responsibly. In the end, alcohol may defeat Islam in western societies quicker than anything else.

“We recognize that there is a cultural problem, and therefore we undertake some measures to address the problem,” Sloth told TV2.

Now, the town workers will launch a campaign to tell the newcomers how they should behave in Denmark.

“First and foremost we want it to be safe and comfortable for all of our residents to move around in Thisted – including in the city’s nightlife. Therefore we are initiating extra measures that will contribute to better understanding, fewer conflicts and thus better security.”

Sexual harassment by refugees was also reported in the town of Sonderborg, southern Denmark, and in Haderslev municipality.

“We must say that a large number of the male guests who come from the local asylum center have a very hard time respecting the opposite sex. In my eyes, it is harassment when one or more men continue to touch a young woman after she has said ‘stop’,” Glenn Hollender from the Sonderborg club Den Flyvende Hollænder told TV Syd.

First Syrian asylum seekers arrived to Haderslev in 2014. The majority of them are single men, and they have begun to enjoy the local nightlife.

According to Rafi Ibrahim, a Syrian who has lived in Denmark for years, if migrant men see “a girl, they go nuts. They simply can’t handle it. The try to grab a hold of the girl’s clothes or paw her.”

“In Syria and many other countries, it is not normal for a strange woman to smile at you. Those girls who are harassed aren’t necessarily scantily-dressed or drunk. Sometimes it is enough just to be a girl,” he said.

Is this why women have to be invisible in Muslim societies, because men cannot control themselves when they see one? Or, is it because of the burka and hijab that men don't ever learn to control themselves? Or, is it because women are simply trinkets for men to play with in the Muslim mind? Or, could it be that anyone who is not dressed so as to be invisible must be taught Muslim 'decency' by being harassed or raped?

Whatever is the cause, every single migrant, man or woman, should have had Dutch (western) society explained to them the moment they set foot on Dutch soil. Not doing that has been one of the greatest failures in this whole migrant mess.

Sexual harassment of women by refugees in Europe is the main issue that has been making headlines since New Year.

The first city to report about mass sexual assaults was Cologne, Germany. According to witnesses, “heavily intoxicated” men of “Arab or North African” origin flooded the city’s famous square between its central train station and Gothic cathedral on New Year’s Eve.

Aged between 15 and 35, individuals in the crowd began throwing and setting off fireworks as the New Year was brought in. With the festivities in full swing, some men reportedly sexually assaulted women and pickpocketed revelers. Among the criminal complaints officially filed, there is at least one allegation of rape.

On Monday, reports emerged that Swedish police were accused of covering up mass sexual assaults allegedly committed by refugees at a music festival. It followed claims that gangs of youths, mostly from Afghanistan, molested girls as young as 11 or 12 at the annual event.