A picture of a young woman in a short skirt sitting with her legs apart is being used to show migrant men that revealing clothing isn’t an invitation for sex.

The photograph, obtained by MailOnline, is being used in rape prevention classes in Norway to teach asylum seekers appropriate sexual behaviour following the recent attacks in Cologne and elsewhere in Europe.

In classes which may be replicated across the continent, male pupils, mostly of Arab and North African origin, are taught that skimpy clothes do not provide an excuse for rape or abuse.

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Provocative? Migrant men attending rape prevention classes in Norway are shown this photo of an attractive woman sitting in a short skirt to teach them this is not an invitation to have sex with her

Instruction: Linda Hagen address Syrian and Sudanese asylum seekers during a courses to prevent violence against women in Ha, near Stavanger, Norway. The headline reads: 'perception of women and cultural codes'

Speaking exclusively to MailOnline, Linda Hagen, the leader of the course, has revealed the challenges she faces in trying to change the mindset of migrant men who have perpetrated sexual assault.

We can't change men who are violent, as they often have complex problems Linda Hagen, Sex education leader

'I often use a picture to explain what we do,' she said.

'Everyone has experienced [this method of teaching] in school.'

Participants in the course often make comments like 'she kissed him, it's an invitation to have sex', and 'if she wants come to my place, that means she's consenting.'

In response, Ms Hagen explains that Western standards are different to those found in some Islamic countries.

Norway has been offering these courses for several years, but in the wake of the New Year's Eve mass sex attacks in Cologne, Germany, other countries affected have expressed an interest in them.

In Cologne, 766 police reports were made, including 497 for sexual assault that police have blamed on Arab and North African men.

Covered: In addition to a woman dressed provocatively in a short skirt, the group is also shown this picture of a woman covered in a hajib head scarf. They are asked what messages this picture communicates to them

Challenging: Norway offers courses in 'cultural understanding' for newly arrived asylum seekers, the headline on the presentation reads;' what is sexual violence and rape'

Ms Hagen believes that the mass sexual assaults occurred because a hardcore of violent migrants instigated the abuse, and crowds of others - who are not naturally aggressive - followed their lead.

'We can't change men who are violent, as they often have complex problems,' she said, adding that if violent men can be removed from mass groups such attacks can be stopped.

The New Year's Eve sex attacks in Cologne and elsewhere sent shockwaves through Europe.

Gang-rape and group sex attacks, known as 'taharrush gamea' in the Arab world, took place across German cities in January and are spreading to other countries.

The Arabic term translates as 'collective harassment'. It is carried out by large gangs of men who crowd around a woman and commit a group sexual assault, either by groping or raping her.

The gang surrounds the victim in circles. While some members take part in the abuse, others may either look on or divert outsiders' attention to what is occurring.

The practice is carried out in public, normally in crowded places where the attackers can find safety in numbers and chaos.

It first came to the attention of the Western world when the South African CBS reporter Lara Logan was set upon by a large group of men while reporting from Tahrir Square, Egypt, in 2011.

Fear: In the wake of the New Year's Eve mass sex attacks in Cologne, Germany (pictured), other countries have expressed an interest in Norway's 'rape prevention courses' for newly arrived migrants and refugees

Cultural difference: The phenomenon 'taharrush gamea' in the Arab world where men gang-rape women as happened in Cologne on New Year (pictured) is explained to be wrong to men in the classes in Norway

'Taharrush gamea' has not just occurred in Germany. On New Year’s Eve, coordinated gang rapes were reported in France, Belgium, Sweden, Finland and Norway, where Ms Hagen teaches.

It has led authorities in a number of other European countries expressing an interest in setting up similar classes across the continent.

Ms Hagen compared educating migrants to controlling an unruly class at school.

When pupils are behaving like 'a single noisy mass', she explained, the situation can be defused by giving attention to 'two students with behavioural problems'. After that, the class can become 'completely normal'.

'Asylum seekers stand together with us in the fight against violence and rape in the community. They are concerned about their own reputation and would like to contribute in their new country,' she told MailOnline.

On 27 January, Ms Hagen is leading a conference in Oslo to teach international delegates how they can set up similar courses in their home countries.

Sessions, she said, will be led by 'researchers within fields such as violence, communication, and interpretation of social codes and signs'.

'The idea behind these courses is to talk about risk situations that can arise when it comes to rapes and sexual assaults,' Ms Hagen said.

The group is asked questions such as: 'What is the difference between love and sex?' 'What do these pictures of women projected on a screen bring to mind, one with bare shoulders and the other veiled?' 'Can the use of violence be legitimate?' And 'how do you know if a woman is consenting to sex?'

The participants brainstorm scenarios where cultural differences may cause misunderstandings.

Assaulted: One of the first Cologne victims to speak of her ordeal was Michelle, 18 (pictured). She described being surrounded by a group of 30 'angry' men who groped her and her friends then stole their belongings

'Scarred': 'Jenny' (pictured) was also groped in Cologne. She was burned on the shoulder when a firework was shoved into the hoodie she was wearing and went off

Lawless: In Cologne, 766 police reports were made on New Year's Eve, including 497 for sexual assault that police have blamed on Arab and North African men

The classes, which are organised by Hero, a private company that runs 40 percent of Norway's reception centres, also make use of a video normally shown to secondary school students.

In the clip, a party is in full swing. Two teens are shown flirting and then kissing. The boy pulls the girl, visibly tipsy, upstairs to a room and locks the door behind them.

He becomes increasingly physical with her, despite the signs of resistance she is displaying. 'No means no,' concludes the video.

Ms Hagen explains the video's message to the migrants: 'In Norway, it's quite common to hug, to entwine, to dance very closely without it necessarily leading to a sexual encounter,' she says.

'Everyone is in agreement that rape is bad,' she adds. 'But there are all these grey zones, these situations that are a little difficult to grasp... The problem can arise with any of us.'

‹ Slide me › Context: The group are asked questions such as: 'What do these pictures of women projected on a screen bring to mind, one with bare shoulders and the other veiled?'

Hero launched the course after a series of rapes committed by foreigners in the southwestern town of Stavanger between 2009 and 2011.

'We invite the residents, both women and men, to have a dialogue about cultural norms and to take responsibility if they see something,' says the organisation's director Tor Brekke.