Consent in the Law Relating to Sexual Offences

Tom O’Malley; Elisa Hoven

doi:10.1017/9781108649742.005

5 - Consent in the Law Relating to Sexual Offences

from Part II - Criminal Law

Published online by Cambridge University Press: 19 December 2019

Tom O’Malley and

Elisa Hoven

Edited by

Kai Ambos ,

Thomas Weigend and

Kai Ambos: Affiliation:
Georg-August-Universität, Göttingen, Germany
Antony Duff: Affiliation:
University of Stirling
Julian Roberts: Affiliation:
University of Oxford
Thomas Weigend: Affiliation:
University of Cologne (Emeritus)
Alexander Heinze: Affiliation:
Georg-August-Universität, Göttingen, Germany

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Summary

It seems obvious that the presence or absence of consent can make all the difference between, on the one hand, a meaningful and loving sexual act between two people and, on the other, a serious violation of the human dignity and personal autonomy of one of those people. Yet, there is a surprising degree of uncertainty as to the precise circumstances in which a person can genuinely be treated as consenting. This is scarcely a satisfactory state of affairs in an era where there is a growing and welcome emphasis internationally on the importance of the right to sexual autonomy. The comparative analysis we undertake in this chapter will reveal parallels between the British and Irish jurisdictions and Germany insofar as the meaning and scope of consent are concerned. It will also show that certain situations are evaluated quite differently, with the English-speaking jurisdictions tending to be more restrictive when it comes to accepting the presence of valid consent. Recent developments in German criminal law may, however, point in the direction of a rapprochement between the two sets of jurisdictions. It may well be that global tendencies toward stronger protection of the interests of women in particular overshadow the formerly more ‘liberal’ instincts of German law.

Type: Chapter
Information: Core Concepts in Criminal Law and Criminal Justice , pp. 135 - 171

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/9781108649742.005 [Opens in a new window]

Publisher: Cambridge University Press

Print publication year: 2020

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5 - Consent in the Law Relating to Sexual Offences

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