Norway: Rape Council suggests courses for immigrants

.. and for elementary schools, and for soldiers. My original translation of this article was eaten up by the computer, so this is the summary version.

The Norwegian Rape Council (Voldtektsutvalget), a gov't authority with representatives from the police, prosecution, health services, research community and support groups, published its report about rape in Norway yesterday. Their report states that just 10% of rapes are reported. Less than 1% of rapists are sentenced. The vulnerable groups: immigrants, prostitutes and men, barely report rapes.

The Rape Council suggests that immigrants (responsible for 65% of rapes in Oslo), and specifically non-Western immigrants, be taught about Norwegian attitudes, limit-setting and culture, under the themes of rape and equality. This can be done as part of the introduction course these immigrants go through anyway. Immigrant women should become acquainted with their rights in Norway.

The number of rapes among youth is also increasing, with girls as young as 13-14 being raped, especially in connection with intoxication. This is not only narcotics but also alcohol in a typical party. The Rape Council suggests the elementary school and religious studies curriculum includes the topics of rape and assault. The current study material about the body, sexuality and rape is outdated and missing important themes. The school curriculum should teach about the clear connection between intoxication and unwilling sex, without sounding too moralizing.

Soldiers being called up for their induction should also be informed about rape and assault, to prevent assault against the local population, assault during service aboard and assault internally within the military. The Defense Department is trying to increase the number of women who join the army, but there have been reports of women who had been harassed and raped without it ever being investigated.

The Rape Council also suggests the following:
- Having a central police unit to coordinate rape investigation.
- Having free follow-up support for rape victims - pointing out that vulnerable groups might not be able to afford psychiatric or psychological care.

The Council's report is based on the experience of the Scandinavian countries, Germany, Great Britain and the US.

Source: Aftenposten 1, 2 (Norwegian)

See also: Voldtektsutvalget report (Norwegian), Norway, Rape and Muslims - A Study

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

Amazing: Norway is a Christian (Lutheran) country with a Christian cross on its flag, and, yet, they don't want to sound "too moralizing" when telling Muslims (who have no conscience about raping the Kufar's women). Want to bet that the Saudis and Iranians have no such compunction when lecturing foreigners not to touch their women?

Esther said...

Hi,

The 'too moralizing' part was for students in schools, not for Muslims and/or immigrants specifically. The Rape Council says that schools should emphasize the connection between intoxication and rape and not sound too moralizing about it. That is, they don't expect students to react to talk about values.