Estonian ministry calls on public to choose consent law model

TALLINN - The Estonian Ministry of Justice has prepared a document of legislative intent for a bill on consent, seeking broad public feedback.

The purpose of the document of legislative intent is to outline the possibilities and challenges of the "yes means yes" and "no means no" models and to reach a broad societal consensus for the proposed legislation.

Estonia is transitioning from a force- and coercion-based model to a consent-based approach for preventing sexual offenses and better protecting victims. The concept of consent can be divided into the "yes means yes" and "no means no" models. Simply put, the "yes means yes" model requires explicit mutual consent for sexual activity, while the "no means no" model assumes consent unless there is explicit refusal.

The ministry is seeking feedback from the public and interest groups on the preferred consent law model, including justifications, by Jan. 20.

Minister of Justice and Digital Affairs Liisa Pakosta said that her personal preference is for the "yes means yes" model but stressed the importance of considering all perspectives to establish a norm that functions well in society.

The bill on consent is expected to be completed this year.