Lawmakers in France joined other European countries on Wednesday by passing a new consent-based law that defines rape as any sexual act that occurs without consent.
The law, which was passed in the French Senate by a vote of 327-0 with 15 abstentions, states that consent “must be freely given, informed, specific, prior and revocable,” adding that it cannot be inferred through “silence or lack of response.”
The bill states that “any non-consensual sexual act shall constitute sexual assault.”
Until now, rape under French law was only defined as penetration or oral sex using “violence, coercion, threat or surprise”, which the new law says negates any concept of consent.
What politicians and women’s advocacy groups say about France’s new rape law
The bill’s co-sponsor, centrist lawmaker Veronique Raiton, said its passage signals a step away “from a culture of rape to a culture of consent.”
“This is a historic step, following in the footsteps of many other European countries,” said Lola Schulman, advocacy officer at Amnesty International France, “but it is only a step, because we know there is still a long way to go to end impunity for gender-based and sexual violence.”
Other advocacy groups, such as the women’s rights organization CIDFF, have also called for better sex education as well as specialized training for police and investigators and enhanced resources for support groups.
Consent-based rape laws exist in Belgium, Germany, the Netherlands, Spain and Sweden.
The bill was passed by the National Assembly, the lower house of the French Parliament, last week. Only far-right MPs in the National Assembly voted against the bill, saying its changes to the definition of consent were “subjective, variable and difficult to understand”.
Why did France change its rape laws now?
The new bill was introduced just weeks after the conviction in the biggest sexual abuse case in decades that rocked the country in January.
In December, the world witnessed a vividly public trial involving the serial rape of Gisele Pellicott at the hands of her now ex-husband, Dominic Pellicott.
Gisele Pellicote’s horrific ordeal shocked the nation and highlighted how pornography, internet chat rooms and misogynistic attitudes towards consent fuel rape culture.
At trial, Dominique Pellicot was convicted of repeatedly drugging his wife Gisele and inviting around 50 men to rape her between 2011 and 2020.
Dominic Pellicott was sentenced to 20 years in prison for his crimes, while the others received sentences ranging from three to 15 years.
One of the convicted men appealed against the verdict, but received a rigorous sentence of 10 years.
Edited by Shawn Sinico