Madrid [Spain], February 7: The four-month old sex crime law in Spain, which was supposed to make it easier to convict sex offenders and offer better protection for women, is set to be changed again.
The left-wing government offered a reform proposal in parliament in Madrid on Monday. The law had unintentionally led to reduced sentences and the early release of sex offenders. The so-called "Only yes means yes" law has sparked fear and a storm of indignation across the country.
Since the law's introduction in October, judges have reduced the sentences of more than 400 offenders, as the rules set lower minimum sentences in some cases. Dozens of sex criminals were released earlier than expected - including a 39-year-old man in Catalonia, who raped 17 women and whose sentence was reduced from 15 to nine years.
These unwanted effects have bolstered the opposition and created a risk of crisis in the coalition between the Socialists (PSOE) of Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez and the United We Can party (UP) of Equality Minister Irene Montero. The PSOE introduced the reform proposal without having previously reached an agreement with the UP. Montero therefore fears that the PSOE could give in to the demands of the conservative opposition in the upcoming debates and accept a return to the old way of life.
"We don't want a return to a patriarchal system in which, as a victim, you were asked whether you had properly closed your legs," she said.
However, PSOE parliamentary group spokesperson PatxiLopez rejected such fears and asserted that the principle of the consent of all those involved in sexual acts would not be deviated from.
Source: Qatar Tribune