Global Progress Towards Ending the Sexual Exploitation of Children
A global problem requires truly global solutions to address the sexual exploitation of children.
Indicators
Age of Consent
Partial
Age of sexual consent is set at 16 years. Provision for a waiver of penalty exists if the persons involved are approximately equal in age and development, however no specific age-gap is identified.
Norwegian Penal Code (2005), 2021
Extraterritoriality & Extradition
No
Active extraterritoriality is recognized for SEC related offences in all instances under Section 5 of the Penal Code with regards to Norwegian nationals and residents and nationals or residents of other Nordic countries if they are located in Norway. Passive extraterritoriality is recognized under Section 5 only for offences punished with at least six years of imprisonment under Norwegian law.
SEC related offences can be considered extraditable offences if they are punished with at least one year of imprisonment and fulfil the double criminality principle (Chapter 1, § 3 of the Act on Extradition of Offenders) and Norwegian citizens cannot be extradited unless the requesting State is a EU/Nordic country. Double criminality is also required for extraterritoriality provisions under Section 5 of the Penal Code.
Norwegian Penal Code,
Act on Extradition of Offenders,
Act relating to arrest and surrender to and from Norway for criminal offences on the basis of an arrest warrant (LOV-2012-01-20-4), 2005 (status as of 2019),1975 (status as of 2019), 2012
CSAM Definition
Yes
The national legislation includes a definition of child sexual abuse materials which covers any type of material including material depicting a person appearing to be a minor and digitally generated child sexual abuse material.
Norwegian Penal Code 2005, 2021
Background Check Required
Yes
The national legislation includes provisions which mandate that the criminal background is checked for every national or non-national applying for work with or for children or who is currently working with or for children, including staff, consultants and volunteers. The national legislation may also prohibit convicted sex offenders to hold positions in both public and private settings involving or facilitating direct contact with children.
The Police Databases Act 2010, 2021
National Commitments
Partial
Norway has ratified the CRC, the OPSC, the Trafficking Protocol and the ILO Convention No.182.
Norway has also ratified the Council of Europe's Lanzarote and Budapest Conventions.
Norway has not ratified the OPIC and the UNWTO Framework Convention on Tourism Ethics.
2021
Child Advocacy Centers
Yes
There are 11 child advocacy centres in Norway, however due to geographical locations some children may not be able to access these.
https://www.statensbarnehus.no/, 2021
SEC Police Unit
Yes
National police units that include sexual exploitation of children in their mandate exist and function effectively. Dedicated allocation of budget is made. Both offences under national and extra-territorial jurisdictions can be addressed by these units.
https://www.politiet.no/en/om/organisasjonen/specialist-agencies/kripos/key-roles-of-ncis/, 2021
Protection Standards Travel and Tourism
Partial
Virke, a company that organises and represents over 24,000 businesses, has published industry-specific standards - the Virke Guidelines for Good Membership Practice - including a recommendation to follow the UNWTO Code of Ethics (which refers directly to the Convention on the Rights of the Child and contains recommendations on preventing the sexual exploitation of children in travel and tourism).
Virke, 2021
Public SEC Case Data
Not Yet Assessed
Age of Consent Law is Appropriate
The age of sexual consent for both males and females is 18 and a close in age exemption (up to 3 years) is provided for consensual sexual relationships between adolescents.
The age of sexual consent is the legally defined age at which a person is considered mature enough to agree to sexual activity. The age of sexual consent varies across jurisdictions around the world and there is no international legal instrument establishing it, however various forms of advocacy have encouraged States to establish a minimum age under which engaging in sexual contact is considered a criminal offence. This is intended to prevent sexual contact with children and to prevent argument that the child consented as a defence.
Often national provisions related to the age of sexual consent include an exception, known as a close-in-age exemption, making consensual sexual activities between young people lawful if the partners are of similar ages and the age difference is not higher than a certain number of years.
To ensure that cases of child sexual exploitation do not go unpunished, ECPAT advocates for the age of sexual consent to be set at 18 for both males and females with a close-in-age exemption of 2-3 years provided in order to ensure young people are not penalised for consensual sexual acts with peers. The age from which the exemption applies should be established by States but may begin for young people somewhere between 12 and 16 years of age.
Yes The national legislation explicitly indicates that the age of sexual consent unequivocally is 18 for both males and females, with a close-in-age exemption for sexual acts between peers (of up to 3 years) is provided by law.