Finns appear have doubts about the ability of the legal system to provide adequate justice for the victims of rape. A survey conducted by the Rovaniemi-based University of Lapland and Amnesty International found that 60 per cent of respondents characterised their confidence in the legal system to be slight to non-existent.
Sixty per cent of women and 50 per cent of men said that their confidence in the system was slight. The middle-aged had more confidence in the legal system than others.
Only one in three of respondents felt that there should not be any factors that would mitigate the perpetrator’s responsibility in a sexual assault. The greatest amount of shared responsibility would be seen in cases in which the victim does not clearly refuse a sexual advance, or had voluntarily gone with the perpetrator to the home of either one.
About half of respondents felt that sexual violence is a fairly serious problem in Finland, while about a third felt that it is fairly small.
The poll involved responses from 1,600 Finns in January.
Amnesty has criticised Finland for a tendency in which rape crimes are often treated by the courts as the lesser offense of sexual abuse, with punishments limited to a fines or suspended prison sentences.
Finland is also criticised for the fact that sexual abuse in Finland is a “complainant offence” - a crime which requires the victim to press charges.
