Lawmakers Demand EU Adopts Standardised Definition Of Rape

[PHOTO FOR ILLUSTRATIVE PURPOSES ONLY] A woman walks past a mural painted on a roadside wall in Ajmer on August 17, 2024, condemning the rape and murder of a doctor in India’s West Bengal state. (Photo by Himanshu SHARMA / AFP)     Advertisement googletag.cmd.push(function() { googletag.display("div-gpt-ad-1672569656851-0"); }); The European Parliament on Tuesday called on the EU to draw up a standardised definition of rape across the 27-nation bloc that explicitly includes the need for consent. The vote, supported by a majority of MEPs, was met with loud applause in the chamber in Strasbourg. Two years ago, the EU adopted its first piece of bloc-wide legislation aimed at combating violence against women. That law criminalises female genital mutilation, forced marriage, the non-consensual sharing of intimate images and cyberbullying. Advertisement googletag.cmd.push(function() { googletag.display("div-gpt-ad-1672569913499-0"); }); However, despite lengthy negotiations, the EU failed to include the issue of rape, due to a lack of consensus on its legal definition. It is on this issue that MEPs are now pressing, calling on the EU’s executive, the European Commission, to propose a unified definition, based on the absence of free, informed consent. The European Commission said it “welcomes” the lawmakers’ move without mentioning if the executive would take up their call. The text voted on Tuesday makes a direct reference to Gisele Pelicot, the French woman who has become a global figure in the fight against sexual violence after a high-profile trial in France. Advertisement googletag.cmd.push(function() { googletag.display("div-gpt-ad-1672587799169-0"); }); Pelicot’s now ex-husband Dominique was convicted in 2024 of drugging her and letting scores of men rape her while unconscious. Lawmakers said her case, in which the lack of consent played a central role, highlights “the inadequacy of definitions of rape that are based on force and not centred on consent”.     Advertisement googletag.cmd.push(function() { googletag.display("div-gpt-ad-1672587060870-0"); }); Join Our Whatsapp Channel To join: Simply click on the link below & turn on notifications to get the latest updates Subscribe to Our Newsletter In This Article: EndRape Rape More Stories PHOTOS: Women Affairs Minister Leads Campaign Against Violence, Rape /* * * CONFIGURATION VARIABLES: EDIT BEFORE PASTING INTO YOUR WEBPAGE * * / var disqus_shortname = 'channelstelevision'; // Required - Replace example with your forum shortname / * * DON'T EDIT BELOW THIS LINE * * */ (function() { var dsq = document.createElement('script'); dsq.type = 'text/javascript'; dsq.async = true; dsq.src = '//' + disqus_shortname + '.disqus.com/embed.js'; (document.getElementsByTagName('head')[0] || document.getElementsByTagName('body')[0]).appendChild(dsq); })(); Please enable JavaScript to view the comments powered by Disqus.

SOURCE: https://www.channelstv.com/2026/04/28/lawmakers-demand-eu-adopts-standardised-definition-of-rape/