Spain’s Supreme Court Rules Non‑Consensual Hand Kiss Is Sexual Assault

Spain’s laws now place the absence of consent at the centre of sexual offence definitions. Photo credit: PeopleImages/Shutterstock Spain’s Tribunal Supremo (Supreme Court) has clarified that physical contact of a sexual nature without consent, including an unsolicited kiss on the hand, constitutes a sexual assault offence rather than street harassment. The decision establishes a clear legal boundary and will influence how similar incidents are treated under Spanish law. The case involved an incident in January 2023 at a bus stop in Alcobendas, Madrid, where a man took a woman’s hand, kissed it without her consent, and attempted to persuade her...