In July, it will be five years since the Consent Act was introduced.
Since then, the number of prosecutions and convictions has increased significantly.
– Now it needs consent in word, deed or equivalent way. That makes it easier to prosecute, says criminologist Leif GW Persson.
It was July 2018 that the Consent Act was introduced in Sweden. Since then, the number of convictions for rape has more than doubled, according to the Crime Prevention Council, Brå. A natural development with the new law, says Leif GW Persson.
– Naturally, there will be more reports as the punishable area is widened. Then it has led to increases in the proportion that are convicted as a result of lowering the evidentiary requirements. It’s easier to trap someone.
Although many more cases are reported and prosecuted, the prosecution rates are still at a low level.
– We should know that the prosecution rates are very low. The big problem is not that you convict a lot of innocent people, but the big problem is that a very small percentage of those reported will be prosecuted. It currently stands at 15–20 percent. I don’t think 80 percent of those reported would be innocent.
Criticism of the law
Despite the success of the Consent Act, there is still criticism of it. The lawyer Bengt Ivarsson tells SVT that he is of the opinion that more innocent people are convicted today. GW Persson thinks that may be true.
– Normally, innocent allegations are somewhere between five and ten percent. It is clear that there is an increased risk that the innocent will be convicted.
He also adds that there is still a large backlog of cases that do not even lead to reporting.
– If you count the number of darkness, it is gigantic. Perhaps one in five cases is reported.