The Spanish Congress passed landmark legislation that would codify into Spanish law the definition of consent as an explicit expression of a person’s will, freeing victims of sexual assault from the burden of having to prove that violence or intimidation was used against them.
The measure, known as the “yes is yes law”, makes consent a key determinant in sexual assault cases and emphasises that a person’s silence does not amount to consent.
The initiative was promoted by Spain’s Minister for Equality, Irene Montero.
Irene Montero: “Today the feminist movement is once again making history. We owed it to each and every one of the victims. We owed it to ourselves. And it is surely one of the most important rights that we can leave to our daughters, in the present and in the future. Only yes is yes. Long live the women’s struggle! Thank you very much”.
