You alone are in charge of your body and you alone decide who can touch you and who cannot. This also means that you alone decide whether or not a family member or your partner can touch you. It is forbidden for someone to touch you against your will or force you into carrying out sexual acts. The law calls this "sexual abuse".
No one is allowed to be physically violent, psychologically violent or sexually violent towards his/her partner. This means, for example, that it is forbidden to beat your partner, threaten him/her or rape him/her. It is also forbidden to lock up your partner and hold him/her captive against his/her will.
Help from the police and crisis centres
People who commit sexual violence will be punished.
If you are affected by violence in your relationship or marriage, you can go directly to the police.
You can also get help from a crisis centre. Crisis centres are facilities where women, men and children who are victims of violence or threats of violence are offered protection and help. In Norway, there is a crisis centre law stating that all municipalities must have a crisis centre.
Honour-based violence
Honour-based violence is when people use violence in order to enforce their idea of the honour of their family, religion or tradition. Examples of this type of violence include:
- physical violence (for example, beating people)
- sexual violence (for example, touching the partner against his/her will)
- psychological pressure (for example, threatening the partner)
- forced marriage
- honour killing
If you believe that you are in a dangerous situation like this, you can go directly to the police. There are also other places you can go to get help.
