The statistics were released by the European Commission on the eve of the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women. Over a thousand Belgians took part in the international poll.

1 in 5 Belgians think that sex without consent should be possible when it happens under the influence of alcohol or drugs. 16 percent finds it justified when the victim "provokes" the act by the way he or she is dressed. And even 14 percent still finds sex without consent okay when the victim fails to says "no" or does not resist. All these categories together represent 40 percent of the respondents. The European average is at 27 percent.

Liesbet Stevens of the Institute for Equality between Men and Women calls the results "remarkable". She thinks this tolerance towards sexual violence is triggered by a past of "relatively low attention for the problem".