Rape in the Nordic Countries: Continuity and Change

The Open Access version of this book, available at http://www.taylorfrancis.com/books/e/9780429467608, has been made available under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-No Derivatives 4.0 license.

While the Nordic countries are listed at the top in most international rankings of gender equality and citizens’ feelings of security, studies on the prevalence of sexual victimisation present a different picture, suggesting that the very countries that have invested much in establishing gender equality actually see a high prevalence of sexual violence. This book sheds light on the phenomenon and construction of rape and other forms of sexual violence within the Nordic region, exploring the ways in which rape and sexual violence are dealt with through criminal law and considering governmental policies aimed at combatting it, with a special focus on legal regulations and developments. Thematically organised, it offers new research on perpetrators, victimhood, criminal justice and prevention. Multi-disciplinary in approach, it brings together the latest work from a range of scholars to offer insights into the situation in the five Nordic countries, asking how and why rape and other forms of sexual violence occur, whilst also addressing the timely issues of online sexual cultures, BDSM and the grey areas of sexual offences. As such, it will appeal to scholars of sociology, criminology and law with interests in gender and sexual violence.

Marie Bruvik Heinskou works as Commissioning Editor at Hans Reitzels Publishing House and as external lecturer at the Department of Political Science, University of Copenhagen. She is former Associate Professor of Sociology at Aalborg University, Denmark, and has published on sexual violence and violence in leading international journals.

May-Len Skilbrei is Professor at the Department of Criminology and Sociology of Law at the University of Oslo, Norway. She also holds a position at Norwegian Social Research (NOVA) at Oslo Metropolitan University. Her research interests are gender, sexuality, power and law and she has published books, articles and chapters internationally on how Nordic governments and civil society actors approach prostitution, human trafficking, child sexual abuse and sexual violence.

Kari Stefansen works as a Research Professor at Norwegian Social Research, Oslo Metropolitan University, Norway. She is the co-editor of Collaborating against Child Abuse: Exploring the Nordic Barnahus Model. Her current research focuses on youth and sexual violence.