A new app that gives men a "24-hour consent contract" to perform sexual intercourse with women has sparked controversy. iConsent, which has been recently launched in Denmark after a new rape law, which criminalizes sex without explicit consent came into effect in the country.
The Danish government has reformed the sexual violence law last year and making the question of consent the basis for determining rape rather than violence. According to the new law, if both parties do not consent to sex, then it's considered as rape.
The creators of iConsent argued that the purpose of the app is to ensure both parties agree to have safe intercourse. However, many groups have criticized the app saying it's "nonsensical" and that it undermines the complexity of consent. "The app is definitely not the solution to getting consent," said Lene Stavngaard, the national head of Sex and Society.
"A sexual relationship is not about a contract, so it shoots completely wrong in relationto the needs that are out there," Stavngaard added.
He said that the app was developed by someone who not only has a professional approach to gender, body or sexuality but is also unaware of what was discussed in the consent debate. He said: "we come back a bit to step one with - is consent a contract or not?" saying that he actually thinks it's a bit nonsensical.
The app demands users to enter the number of the person they want to have intercourse with and then send a request so that the other person can accept or reject the offer as they are given the option. The iConsent app is designed so that consent valid for 24 hours which is limited to sexual intercourse only.
Earlier, the Danish law required prosecutors to prove violence was used on someone who was unable to resist unwanted sex in order to legally constitute rape. However, after the Danish Parliament passed the law last December making it a criminal offence to have intercourse with someone who did not give consent, founders of iConsent app insist that the application will create security for both men and women.
Morten Bjerregaard, a defence lawyer, said that the app would not hold in court as electronic consent doesn't make it easier to prove that one has not committed rape. Another person to slam the app was Clinical sexologist, Jesper Bay-Hansen.
How to Use iConsent App?
Well, if you are wondering how this new app works, then it's very simple. Users need to download the app from play store and then enter the number of the person they want to have sex with and send a request for consent just like any other social media messaging platforms.
