Finnish Justice Minister Leena Meri declines to amend controversial rape law amid ongoing challenges

Finnish Justice Minister Leena Meri is currently unwilling to make changes to the rape law that has been in effect for a year and a half. She prefers to observe how the law functions in practice for a longer period. Recent reports indicate that law enforcement and prosecutors have struggled with the new legislation since its implementation.

Under the previous law, rape was defined as forcing another person into sexual intercourse through violence or the threat of violence. The new law states that a person can be guilty of rape if the other party has not given consent to engage in sexual activity. However, demonstrating consent in the legal process afterward is proving to be extremely challenging.

As investigation leader Jutta Antikainen noted, “It is indeed very difficult. In most of these cases, only the parties involved were present.” Furthermore, special prosecutor Nina Huttunen highlighted that the law requires a person to express their willingness through actions or words, which is often not clear in many situations.

The rape law was enacted based on a citizen initiative during the previous government, with Meri serving as the chair of the parliamentary legal committee at that time. While several expert testimonies supported the law change, they also warned that it could increase evidence-related challenges in rape investigations.

Meri acknowledges that she lacks sufficient information on the practical challenges that authorities may have encountered due to the new law, as well as how extensively it has been applied.

The Ministry of Justice plans to monitor the law’s effectiveness and aims to provide a report by five years after the law’s enactment.