"The measure, the result of a rare pact between the far-right prime minister, Giorgia Meloni, and her main political opponent, the centre-left leader, Elly Schlein, passed in the lower house last week and had been expected to get final approval in the senate this week. But the debate has been unexpectedly stalled by the League, the far-right coalition ally led by the deputy prime minister, Matteo Salvini, who argued that the law would clog up the courts and be used as a form of revenge."
"Salvini said that while he backed the law in principle, the current draft leaves too much open to the individual's interpretation and risked fuelling conflict rather than reducing violence. It leaves room for women and men to use a vague law for personal vendettas without any abuse taking place, he told reporters."
"The bill stipulates that anyone who engages in sexual acts without the other person's explicit consent can face a prison term of six to 12 years. The aim of the measure is to make it easier for victims to report and prosecute rape. In Italy, sexual violence is defined as forcing someone to undergo sexual acts through threats, physical force or abuse of authority. But the criminal code does not explicitly recognise the absence of consent as sufficient grounds for bringing a charge."
A proposed law would define sex without explicit consent as rape and impose a prison term of six to 12 years. The measure aims to make it easier for victims to report and prosecute rape by recognising lack of consent as sufficient grounds for charges. The draft emerged from a rare pact between Giorgia Meloni and Elly Schlein and passed the lower house, but the League, led by Matteo Salvini, stalled the senate debate citing vagueness, court clogging and risks of personal vendettas. Parliament separately approved a femicide bill with life sentences; both measures had been slated for 25 November.
Read at www.theguardian.com
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