– I don’t sleep much, says Anna. Her name is actually something else. news knows her identity, but has chosen not to tell who she is. On 16 May last year, Anna went to a party in a well-known outdoor area where she lives. A place where both Russians and other young people meet on the day before National Day. Anna knows she is not old enough to drink alcohol. But she did it anyway this evening. At 10 p.m., she was supposed to take the bus home, but instead joined a private party nearby. – That’s where it happened, says Anna. She can’t talk about it much. Mom has to help. – Anna did not tell about the rape until two weeks had passed. She said that she had drunk alcohol that evening, and that a 17-year-old boy had assaulted her in a private apartment, says the mother. Was examined by a doctor Mora reported the case straight away. Then she took her daughter to the family doctor for an examination. There it was proven that intercourse had taken place. Anna struggles with both anxiety, depression and post-traumatic stress disorder after the incident on 16 May last year. Photo: Rosa Irén Villalobos / news – Anna has been questioned via the Statens barnehus. She has explained what has happened, and how much she struggles with it afterwards, says the mother. – What has it done to you afterwards, Anna? – No, I can’t seem to go out that much. I’m afraid. The 15-year-old explains that she is afraid of meeting the boy she has reported for rape. He goes to the same school as several people she knows. She remembers most of it from the evening of 16 May last year. And is clear that intercourse was not something she wanted. – I said I didn’t want to, says Anna. She has subsequently had to start medication for depression. In addition, she has been diagnosed with anxiety and post-traumatic stress disorder. The dose of medication has been increased over the past few months. In the last school year, she has hardly experienced anything. She has a lot of absences, and has now been granted home schooling. So that the teachers will have a basis for giving her grades at secondary school. Case dropped After the police in January dropped the case against the boy she reported, Anna sleeps even worse. – It was tough, she says. It has been tough for the whole family. Mum is an important supporter for Anna. Photo: Rosa Irén Villalobos / news – They talk so nicely about the importance of reporting. How can they put away a case that has ruined much of my daughter’s youth, asks the mother. In 2021, almost 60 per cent of all rape cases were dismissed in Norway. This is shown by figures from Statistics Norway. The vast majority were dropped due to lack of evidence. In fully 60 percent of all rapes and attempted rapes reported in the same year, the victim is under 20 years old. Several cases of rape are also reported. Rape of children under 14 increased by almost 14 percent from 2020 to 2021. Other rapes increased by 10.5 percent. In the closing statement, the police write that the charge has been changed from rape to sexual intercourse with children under 16 due to the state of the evidence. Furthermore, it is stated in the closing: “The reason that the charge was changed from rape to sexual intercourse with a minor is not that the police do not believe the victim, but that the requirement for evidence in criminal cases is very high” In the closing, it is also emphasized that the two are in the same age group. “Due to the fact that the parties are roughly equal in age and development (respectively 15 and 17 years at the time of the crime), the prosecution has come to the conclusion that the case must nevertheless be dropped, cf. § 308 of the Criminal Code” – He was 17. She was 15. I consider them not as the same age, Anna’s mother says. Want a consent law in Norway – But I don’t feel they believe me, says Anna. The government has said it will work to introduce a so-called consent law. Where both parties must agree on intercourse. It has not been put in place yet, but a proposal has been submitted for consultation (external link). 12 countries in Europe have such a law. Among others, Denmark, Sweden and England. In the dismissal of Anna’s case, the police write that they do not rule out that the accused has experienced the situation in a different way than the victim. Elisabeth Rød is Anna’s assistant lawyer. She believes it is important that a consent law is introduced in Norway. This is because sexual intercourse without consent is not currently punishable as rape. – Punishable rape requires, according to current legislation, that the person in question has acquired sexual intercourse through violence or threatening behaviour, or has sexual intercourse with someone who is unconscious or unable to resist the act, says Rød. The accused has admitted intercourse. But denies rape. Lawyer Eirik Helland. Photo: Haakon Nordvik – My client has always maintained that it was not rape, but voluntary sexual intercourse between two people. He was of course happy to be believed, says the boy’s lawyer, Eirik Helland. Will appeal The dismissal is now being appealed. – My client disagrees with the dismissal and the decision will be appealed to the Rogaland State Attorney’s Office, says Elisabeth Rød. – How difficult are these types of cases? – On a general basis, I can say that there are often difficult evidentiary cases, as there are rarely witnesses present, she says. Elisabeth Rød is Anna’s assistant lawyer. Photo: Pål Berg Mortensen / news Police attorney Else Saltveit Lokna can only comment on a general basis. – This type of case, which deals with offenses against children, is a priority for the police, says Lokna. A decision in the case will come within three months. The boy’s lawyer believes the police’s decision is correct. – I believe the police’s decision is correct and therefore believe that the public prosecutor must come to the same conclusion, says Helland. Anna’s legal aid lawyer has already applied for victim compensation for her. Anna herself hopes that the appeal will lead to success and that she will get on. If she manages to finish secondary school, she hopes to start higher education. – I have always wanted to start at Health – and early childhood education, says Anna.
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Anna feels she is not believed – the police drop six out of ten rape cases – news Rogaland – Local news, TV and radio
