"Rätten till våra kroppar". Kvinnorörelsen och våldtäktsdebatten

Abstract

SUMMARY In the spring of 1976 the issue of rape surfaced in the Swedish public debate as a reaction to a government report (sou 1976:9). The report came from the Committee on Sex Crimes, which attempted to dedramatise the rape issue and suggested a reduction in the penalties for the crime. A section of the independent women's movement known as Grupp 8 organised a protest, supported by a wide range of other groups within the women's movement. This artide describes how almost the entire Swedish women's movement co-operated and consequently succeeded in getting the government report withdrawn. It focuses on the different strategies used and on the alliances formed by the different groups within the movement. I suggest that the new women's movement contributed to an alternative way of thinking about the question of women's physical integrity. By and large this was the result of consciousnessraising strategies, e.g. using humour as a means of revealing and challenging oppressive systems. I also argue that the movement played an important role in strengthening women's self-esteem and increasing their perception of their own strength and that this provided a basis for outward action directed towards society at large. The challenge offered by the rape debate can be found in the combination of radical content and new modes of co-operation.