– It took eight years before I dared to tell about the abuse, she says. Then Therese Sørenes reported to the police what she believed to be abuse that started online. Among other things, one boy got her to film herself without clothes while he watched. – Later I was subjected to physical abuse, says Sørenes. It was the shame that made her not tell anyone. – He is the one who killed you. Slowly but surely, says Therese. Therese’s case was dismissed. It was also around 50 percent of all sexual offenses that were reported in Norway in 2021, figures from Statistics Norway show. news has also recently told the story of 15-year-old Anna who reported a party rape to the police. – I was only 10 years old. Then and there I didn’t know any better, says Sørenes. She has now turned 20, and is passionately concerned that Norway must get a law on consent in place. – I know it takes so much to be believed as a victim. There is so little support around the victims, says the 20-year-old. She was inspired to post parts of her story after she saw the Instagram account “1000 stories”. “1000 stories” – about abuse Six younger women are behind the account. Here, people can anonymously tell what abuse they are exposed to. And the stories that have come in are many. “I thought he was going to kill me.” “I was raped by a superior in the military”. Some of the stories told on the Instagram account “1000 stories” Photo: Screenshot Natalina Heia is a trained lawyer and one of the women behind the Instagram account. – It is appalling to see that there are so many stories of abuse. It is mainly aimed at young women. And it proves that the legal system does not work for these women, says Heia. The account was started after one of the six women posted a post on Instagram. She did not feel believed by the police after she was beaten. Afterwards, similar stories poured in. Abuse cases that were dismissed due to a lack of evidence. It was then that the campaign started to get a consent law in place in Norway. – It is not the case that women should be required to go around and give a clear signal that they do not wish to be raped. But we must demand from the practitioner that the person concerned must not be raped, the lawyer believes. Consent law – about time Today there is no so-called consent law in Norway. But the government has sent a bill out for consultation. Twelve other European countries have already introduced such a law. – It is time, Natalina Heia believes. Natalina Heia is a trained lawyer and is surprised by all the abuse stories young women tell. Photo: Private The proposal has been sent out to a long series of consultation bodies (external link). – I think that’s fine. The broader the decision-making basis, the better I think a legislative blessing can be, says Heia. She believes that it is a societal problem that affects many people. – Sexual intercourse must always be voluntary. This is the reason why the government in Hurdalsplattforma has notified a consent law. The government started work on sorting out the law as soon as we came into government in autumn 2021, writes State Secretary in the Ministry of Justice and Emergency Preparedness, Hans-Petter Aasen (Sp), in an email to news. State Secretary in the Ministry of Justice and Emergency Preparedness, Hans-Petter Aasen (Sp) Photo: Ministry of Justice and Emergency Preparedness – The government will present our proposal for an amendment to the Penal Code on rape once we have assessed the hearing recordings. This work has priority, adds Aasen. The women behind “1000 stories” believe that many of those who have told their stories think it has been good to tell. Therese Sørenes also thinks so. – I know I can contribute to something good by telling my story. Instead of just sitting alone with the pain I’ve had.
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