In February 2023, the government appointed a committee to examine issues related to the prevention and prosecution of rape. The committee will also examine how victims of rape are supported after the incident and during the investigation process.
Background
The Norwegian Parliament (Stortinget) representatives Kirsti Bergstø, Kathy Lie, Marian Hussein and Andreas Sjalg Unneland, proposed to appoint a rape commission to strengthen measures against rape; Doc. 8:134 S (2021-2022), Inst. 307 S (2021-2022), Petitioner Decision 585.
The proposers pointed out that 14 years have passed since a review of the government’s work against rape was undertaken in Norway (NOU 2008: 4 “From words to actions”) and that there is a need to develop new measures that can prevent rape, ensure legal protection for victims, improve the prosecution of perpetrators and evaluate and assess the measures already in place.