US EditionFrench MPs vote to define rape as any non-consensual sexual act
The bill establishes consent as free, informed, specific, prior, and revocable, shifting the legal focus onto proving consent rather than violence, parliament members said.
- On Thursday, France's Assemblée Nationale approved a bill defining rape as any non-consensual sexual act, paving the way for the Senate's expected final vote on Wednesday.
- The bill follows the case of Gisèle Pelicot, whose assault by her then-husband reignited debate over consent, and centrist lawmaker Veronique Riotton said the reform moves France from a culture of rape to a culture of consent.
- Parliament members in France's Assemblée Nationale voted 155 to 31 in favour, with only far-right lawmakers opposing; consent is defined as `free and informed, specific, prior and revocable`.
- Supporters say the reform shifts the burden to alleged offenders, with Sophie Blanc stating `Lawyers will now have to dissect not the violence of the perpetrator, but the gestures, words and silence of the person claiming to be the victim` and Marie-Charlotte Garin adding `When it's not no, it doesn't mean yes`.
- Aligning France with other European countries, the bill brings it in line with Germany, the Netherlands, Spain and Sweden and states `There is no consent if the sexual act is committed through violence, coercion, threat or surprise`.
17 Articles
17 Articles
The French House of Commons has voted in favour of a redefinition of sexual violence. In the future, lack of consent should be sufficient to classify an act as rape.
The French parliament redefined rapes. "silence or lack of response" should no longer be regarded as consent.
The lower house passed the bill by a large majority on Thursday, 23 October, following a compromise with the senators. Only the far right deputies opposed this legislative advance.
France Moves to Enshrine 'Consent' in Legal Definition of Rape - teleSUR English
National Assembly Approves Bill Redefining Rape as a ‘Non-Consensual Sexual Act’ After Pelicot Case. On Thursday, the French National Assembly approved the inclusion of the notion of “consent” in every sexual relationship to determine whether a person is a victim of rape, integrating that concept into the criminal definition of the offense. RELATED: What to Know About the Brazen Heist at Louvre in Paris The bill adopted in the lower house redefi…
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