For A Quarter Of Europeans, Sex Without Consent Is Justifiable

A recent survey, conducted by Eurobarometer, has reviled a dismal picture of public opinion on the issue of sex without consent in the European Union (EU). With almost 27 per cent of respondents across the European Union saying sex without consent is justifiable, the situation looks alarming.

Among the most common reasons that respondent cite are being drunk or on drugs (12 per cent), agreeing to go home with someone (11 per cent), wearing revealing clothes, or not clearly saying no or physically fighting back (both 10 per cent). On sorting data by country, Romanians and Hungarians were most likely to justify sex without consent, Swedish and Spanish were least likely to do so.

Statics further reveal that 41 per cent respondents in the EU believe that passing lewd comments to harass women in the streets should not be illegal. 48 per cent of Hungarians, 42 per cent of Estonians, and 38 per cent of Lithuanians think “touching a colleague in an inappropriate way” should not be illegal.

When asked about violence against women, over a quarter said that women often make up or exaggerate claims of abuse. Over 17 per cent said that women blamed women for provoking violence. Most Latvians (57) and many Lithuanians (45) blamed the victim.

The survey also reveals that almost 88 per cent of the victims do not go to the police to report offences.