The UN special rapporteur Reem Alsalem “expressed concern” over the new law, called for stronger protections for the victims of sexual assault in Spain and said that “for a country with a high rate of femicide, reducing the sentences of those found guilty of perpetrating sexual violence – against women and children – sends the wrong message about the State’s priorities when it comes to ending violence against women and children and fighting impunity for such crimes”.
Today, attempts to grapple with the issue of sexual assault have had mixed results, the new Sexual Consent law (also known as the “only yes means yes” law) introduced in 2023, while progressive, inadvertently allowed almost 1,000 prisoners to have their sentences reduced, forcing the prime minister to publicly apologise.
The conviction of the former Spanish FA president for sexual assault sends a powerful message not just about consent, but about how seriously women are taken.
Irene Paredes, one of the players to testify alongside Hermoso, said of the ruling: “I think the conviction for sexual assault is correct.
Against this backdrop, the conviction of Rubiales for sexual assault, after a trial reported on around the world, is a huge step forward.
