Now BBC show asks the viewers to vote on whether a girl was raped

A BBC programme that asks viewers to vote on whether a teenage girl has been raped has raised serious concerns from charities.

The corporation has been forced to defend Is This Rape? Sex On Trial, which shows a fictional sexual encounter between two teenagers.

After the show, which will be broadcast next Monday, the audience will be told to go online and vote on whether they have just seen consensual sex or a criminal assault.

But charities are worried by the premise of the programme and whether the voting aspect will be handled sensitively.

Is This Rape? Sex On Trial is being shown on youth channel BBC3, and comes after research found many young people are confused about sexual consent.

As well as the audience vote, a panel of 24 teenagers will discuss what they have seen at key moments in the drama.

At the end of the programme, an expert barrister will then explain the law and whether a rape has legally occurred.

Some members of the panel voice controversial opinions. One teenage girl says: ‘If she didn’t show she was up for it [but] ... didn’t do anything to stop it I think that it could be taken as consent.’

Sexual violence charities welcomed the chance for the issue to be discussed, but voiced concerns over the show’s sensitivity.

A spokesman for End Violence Against Women said: ‘The attitudes and questions around consent do need exploring but it really does need to be done responsibly.

‘I would hope that the producers have taken care and spoken to experts.’

A spokesman for Rape Crisis added: ‘Badly handled this could have the potential to be upsetting ... but it sounds to me like it has been very carefully handled’.

A BBC spokesman said suggesting viewers could be left misinformed was ‘entirely misleading’ and that the show’s aim was to educate. The spokesman added: ‘Whilst we treat the subject with sensitivity we will not gloss over the issues it raises.’