Spain's highest court ruled on Tuesday that a kiss without "implied consent" is to be considered a sexual assault in the country.
The issue is currently being debated in Spain. The court's decision comes just a few months before the former chairman of the Spanish football association, Luis Rubiales, is to stand trial for his uninvited kiss during the Spanish women's team's celebrations at the World Championship last year.
The court states, among other things, that an explicit "no" from the victim is not required in the case of a kiss. Without consent, the act constitutes a crime.
Earlier, a police officer in Andalusia was sentenced to one year and nine months' imprisonment for kissing a woman on the cheek while she was in police custody. The case sparked debate and was appealed to the highest court – which has now chosen to uphold the lower court's ruling.
