US EditionFrance Passes Consent-Based Rape Law
- On Oct 29, France's Senate gave final approval to a bill redefining rape as any non-consensual sexual act, completing the process before official publication.
- Prompted by the Pelicot trial, lawmakers introduced the bill in January after 51 men were convicted and Dominique Pelicot received a 20-year sentence, exposing legal gaps.
- The law clarifies there is no consent in cases of violence, coercion, threat or surprise and defines consent as freely given, informed, specific, prior and revocable, noting it cannot be inferred from silence or lack of reaction under the French penal code.
- Senators voted 327-0 with 15 abstentions to finalise the law, while advocacy groups welcomed it and Lola Schulmann called it `This is a historic step forward`, though far-right lawmakers opposed it.
- By joining other nations, France positions itself among consent-based legal frameworks like Germany, Spain and Sweden, while legal experts say the change should ease convictions; CIDFF urges education and training.
126 Articles
126 Articles
France Passes Consent-Based Rape Law Following Gisèle Pelicot Case
French lawmakers unanimously voted through a new law to expand the definition of rape and other sexual assault as any non-consensual sex act. The bill, approved Wednesday, follows the shocking drugging and mass rape trial of the former husband of Gisèle Pelicot and 50 other men, which turned her into a symbolic figure of the issue of sexual violence and led to a campaign for a more robust law around rape. The bill was brought before the Senate i…
France updates rape laws after Pelicot case. But is recognizing consent enough?
For many years, women’s advocates in France have been frustrated by the absence of consideration of consent within the country’s rape and sexual assault laws. That’s finally changed, thanks in large part to Gisèle Pelicot.
DECRYPTAGE - The new criminal definition of sexual assault puts the respondent on the front line in police investigations, as the victim no longer has to justify his or her own lack of disagreement.
France Just Updated Its Rape Law to Center Consent
France has enshrined the definition of rape and sexual assault as any non-consensual sexual act, months after the trial of dozens of men over the rape and abuse of Gisèle Pelicot rattled the nation. The country’s senate voted 327-0 on Wednesday in favor of the bill, with 15 abstentions. The bill was introduced in January, after 51 men were convicted for the rape of Pelicot. Consent is defined as “freely given, informed, specific, prior, and revo…
In France, after the National Assembly, the Senate also approved a fundamental change in sexual criminal law.
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