In Spain, the intersection of feminism, the fight against sexual crime, and the influence of political parties like the socialists and Podemos shapes the discourse around consent and societal norms.

Spain’s landmark law on sexual crime made explicit consent—or the lack thereof—the benchmark for determining guilt in rape cases. But the law had an unintended consequence: Hundreds of convicted sex offenders’ sentences were reduced on appeal, leading to public outrage and infighting within the leftist governing coalition.