Autor: global-affair

Reacting to a vote by the French Senate to introduce a consent-based definition of rape in the penal code, Lola Schulmann, Gender Justice Advocacy Officer at Amnesty International France, said: 

“The adoption of this law is a historic step forward. It is a long-awaited victory for victims of rape and the culmination of years of tireless campaigning by activists, feminist organizations and survivors of sexual violence. 

“Amending the penal code will have a broad educational impact, which is essential for establishing a culture of consent in our society and in the training of those involved in the legal system. 

This is a long-awaited victory for victims of rape and the culmination of years of tireless campaigning by activists and survivors of sexual violence

“Taking this final step towards amending the outdated law and recognizing that non-consensual sex is rape, will help to prevent and combat sexual violence and improve access to justice for victims of sexual violence. 

“The adoption of the law will be crucial to change attitudes about rape but it is not a silver bullet. A true paradigm shift will require substantial financial resources and a truly intersectional perspective in its implementation to put an end to impunity for gender-based and sexual violence.”

Background 

The bill, adopted by the Senate today, was voted at the National Assembly on 23 October. 

Sixteen European Union member states have already introduced consent-based definitions of rape in their legislation: Belgium, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic Denmark, Finland, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Luxembourg, Malta, the Netherlands, Poland, Slovenia, Spain, and Sweden. Iceland, Norway, Switzerland and the UK also have similar definitions of rape in their legislation in line with international human rights law, including the Council of Europe Convention on preventing and combating violence against women and domestic violence, also known as “the Istanbul Convention”. 

The post France: ‘Historic victory’ as French law adopts consent-based definition of rape  appeared first on Amnesty International.