Sexual Violence Persists Despite Norway's Gender Equality
Norway is often regarded as one of the world’s most gender-equal countries, yet sexual violence continues to be widespread throughout society.
The recent case of Marius Borg Høiby, sentenced last week to four years in prison for offences including domestic violence and two counts of rape, was notable in several respects.
Høiby, the 29-year-old step-grandson of the king, was raised in the public eye alongside the royal family, socializing within Oslo’s wealthiest circles, attending exclusive nightclubs, and hosting afterparties at his family’s official royal residence.
However, at its core, the case underscores a troubling universal reality that resonates with Norwegians and people globally: the prevalence of violence, particularly sexual violence, in everyday life—even in a country celebrated for gender equality—and how this issue has been intensified by the digital age. Experts also highlight that despite significant amendments to Norway’s consent laws last year, there remains a profound lack of understanding about consent across Norwegian society, from children and teenagers to legal professionals.
“The verdict has been on everyone’s lips, both in my personal world with my friends, but also here at the office we have discussed this quite a bit,”said Åsne Solberg, a legal adviser at JURK, an organisation providing free advice to women in Oslo.
Like many Norwegian women, Solberg was personally affected by the combination of the trial and the release of the Epstein files, which revealed a connection between Høiby’s mother, Crown Princess Mette-Marit, and the late US sex offender.
“You really get a glimpse of how some of these men resonate, or don’t resonate, with their own actions,”she explained.
“And how, deep down on the inside, they perceive women and the worth of women and what they can do to women. I think it’s just very dark, honestly.”
Solberg’s professional experience confirms that the Høiby case is not an isolated incident.
Despite Norway’s global reputation for gender equality, statistics reveal that one in five women have been raped at least once, and one in ten have experienced serious partner violence.
“We call it the Nordic paradox,”Solberg said.
“That on paper we are very equal but when it comes to our violence statistics it is quite dire still.”
Legal Reforms and Their Impact
Norway’s new consent laws, implemented last year, criminalise sex without explicit consent, removing the requirement for prosecutors to prove violence, threats, or the victim’s incapacity to resist in order to secure a rape conviction. The charges against Høiby pertained to incidents that occurred prior to these legal changes.
Other Nordic countries—Sweden, Denmark, Finland, and Iceland—have also adopted consent-based rape laws. Swedish officials reported that redefining rape as sex without consent led to a 75% increase in convictions.
Solberg, who has campaigned for years to reform the law, believes the new legislation would have influenced the Høiby case.
“This whole case and the proceedings illustrate why we needed the change in the penal code,”she said.
She noted that much attention during the trial was given to whether the victims were asleep during the assaults. Under the new law, she argued, such focus would be unnecessary.
“The most relevant theme of evidence would be whether she consented or not, not whether she was actually asleep or not.”
Cultural Challenges and Digital Influence
Nok Norge (Enough Norway), an umbrella organisation for government-funded centres supporting sexual abuse victims nationwide—including in some schools—states that behaviours demonstrated in the Høiby trial reflect a broader culture surrounding sex and explicit image sharing.
Ingvild Hestad Torkelsen, leader of Nok Norge, commented on the early exposure to pornography among youth:
“Porn is getting into bedrooms very early … We have a lot of girls that come to our centres that say the first time they had sex the boys wanted to strangle them because they’ve seen that done in porn … It’s more brutal or aggressive very early.”
She also highlighted that increased screen time has created gaps in young people’s ability to communicate and interpret body language effectively. While schools provide sex education, it tends to focus on the “mechanics” of sex rather than on emotions, boundaries, or communication.
Kari Helene Partapuoli, secretary general of the Norwegian women’s public health association Sanitetskvinnene, added that the issue of intimate photos and videos—including those shared consensually—is a growing concern among children and adolescents.
“There are a lot of closed groups,”she said.
“It’s something that keeps coming up. And I think everyone who is a parent today has those discussions with their children, teenagers especially, boys or girls.”
Prior to the trial, Sanitetskvinnene reported an increase in the number of women reporting abuse and sexual assault by their partners.
Societal Impact and Ongoing Challenges
Partapuoli hopes the verdicts, some of which Høiby has appealed, will have a broader influence on Norwegian society.
“All of history shows that you have to speak up. Unfortunately, often an individual has to go through that kind of public scrutiny, like these women have done in this court case, and also in rape cases.”
However, she acknowledged that progress remains necessary.
“We have to keep talking about it, learning, changing attitudes and taking it through court cases. This does not have an easy fix, but you have to keep working.”
