Amnesty: Finland Fails to Protect Women against Sexual Violence
Image: Pekka Kauranen
Human rights group Amnesty has slammed the Nordic countries—especially Finland—for failing to combat sexual violence. Amnesty says the Nordics have gaps in their legal systems, making it complicated to sufficiently prosecute and punish sex crimes.
"In spite of all the progress towards equality between women and men in many fields in the Nordic societies, when it comes to rape the legal measures are still not adequate," Amnety said in a report.
In most respects, Finland figured at the bottom of the list when it came to protecting victims' rights, it said.
"Compared to the other Nordic countries, it is clear that Finland has been slower to reform its legislation on violence against women and rape."
Across the region, only a small percentage of rapes are ever reported, and even when they are reported, only a few make it to court, where the acquittal rate is very high, the report showed.
In Finland the situation was especially egregious, with only between two and 10 percent of rapes ever reported, compared to 25 percent in Denmark.
The human rights group also highlighted that in Finland and Denmark, having non-consensual sex with someone who has rendered themselves helpless, through alcohol for instance, is not considered rape.
AFP