National

In Spain, sexual assault legislation says 'yes means yes'

Spain's government has introduced new legislation stating that consent must be explicitly given during sexual interactions in the wake of protests following a controversial court case.

The "yes means yes" law says consent is not granted unless all partners specifically say it aloud. Anything other than vocal consent, including silence, constitutes sexual assault under the country's criminal code.

The legislation was announced last week by Carmen Calvo Poyato, Spain's deputy prime minister and equality minister. Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez expressed support Tuesday for the law in front of parliament.

"To be clear, ladies and gentlemen, if they say no it means no, and if they don't say yes, it means no," Sanchez said, according to the BBC.

The measure comes following widespread protests throughout the country in response to the "Wolf Pack" case. In April, five men were acquitted of sexual assault and instead charged with sexual abuse for the 2016 rape of a young woman in Pamplona during the Running of the Bulls festival. All five men are currently appealing their nine-year jail sentences.

The case fueled demonstrations and international criticism because the three judges who tried it did not permit video taken of the assault or messages exchanged between the men that detailed drugging and raping other women as evidence. The case takes its name from the Whatsapp group where the perpetrators exchanged videos and messages.

Calvo said the case pointed to a need for more specific sexual assault law in Spain when she unveiled the yes means yes legislation.

"We cannot return to a situation where, via an interpretation, what is understood to be a serious crime against women is not considered as such,” Calvo said, according to El País.

Under current Spanish law, prosecutors must demonstrate that violence was perpetrated against the victim or that the victim was in a "vulnerable situation." The new laws would place Spain on par with countries like the United Kingdom and Germany. On July 1, Sweden enacted a law that says a person must give clear verbal or physical consent when engaging in sexual activity.