France poised to define rape as lack of consent

"France's lower house of parliament on Thursday approved a bill to define rape as any non-consensual sexual act, paving the way for its final adoption by the Senate next week. The move comes after the shocking case of Frenchwoman Gisèle Pelicot, drugged by her then-husband who invited dozens of strangers to rape her, reignited a debate over consent in the country."

"The bill defines rape as any 'non-consensual act', bringing France in line with other European nations -- including Germany, the Netherlands, Spain and Sweden -- that have enacted consent-based rape legislation. Consent, it says, must be 'free and informed, specific, prior and revocable', and evaluated in light of the circumstances, noting that it cannot be inferred from 'silence or lack of reaction'."

"'There is no consent if the sexual act is committed through violence, coercion, threat or surprise, whatever their nature,' the text states, incorporating wording already used in France's current legal definition of rape. '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,' said Rassemblement National lawmaker Sophie Blanc."

France's lower house of parliament approved a bill to define rape as any non-consensual sexual act, moving the measure toward final Senate adoption. The vote passed 155 to 31, with only far-right lawmakers opposing. The bill aligns France with several European countries by enshrining consent as free, informed, specific, prior and revocable and stating that consent cannot be inferred from silence or lack of reaction. The text reiterates that there is no consent when violence, coercion, threat or surprise is used. Supporters say the reform shifts the evidentiary burden onto alleged offenders.

Read at The Local France