This was the ambition presented by the European Parliament and some European Union member states from March 2022: a directive to harmonize crimes related to violence against women in Europe. A text that wants to ban forced marriages, female genital mutilation, sexual harassment and even forced sterilization.
If there is consensus, one point seems to cause divergence: a common definition of rape for member countries of the European Union.
Therefore, for the European Parliament, the definition of rape must include the notion of consent. It is therefore sufficient that the victim “did not consent to the sexual act” So that the “crime of rape” OR “characterized”relationships The world.
A refusal from Emmanuel Macron
A definition that, like Poland, Hungary or even the Czech Republic, France has wanted to exclude for several months, France Inter reported last September. The reason would be that France has already ratified the Istanbul Convention, a Council of Europe treaty against violence against women.
But this refusal would come directly from aboveEmmanuel Macronas reported once again The world : 31 October, when the President of the European Parliament Roberta Metsola had he been received by the president at the Elysée, he would have remained silent in the face of his arguments. According to another source, “It was Emmanuel Macron who arbitrated and decided that France did not want a European definition of rape based on the notion of consent”we can read in the article.
That is to say that in French law rape is not the result of consent, but it is constituted when the sexual act was committed under threat, coercion, surprise or violence.
A mobilization by French parliamentarians
Thus, on November 13, almost forty deputies and senators sent a letter to Emmanuel Macron and the prime minister Elizabeth Borne so that the government changes its mind on the issue. Among the co-signatories are environmentalist deputies Aurélien Taché, Sandrine Rousseau and the senators Yannick Jadot AND Melanie Vogelthe specialized media Euractiv reported.
«While in France 0.6% of rape reports end in conviction, the introduction of the notion of consent in the definition of rape would make a real difference for victims of violence and help remedy the shortcomings of the penal code»they wrote, ahead of the meeting between the European Parliament and EU member states on Tuesday 14 November.
Listen to Laisse-moi kiffer, Madmoizelle’s cultural advice podcast.
Source: Madmoizelle
Mary Crossley is an author at “The Fashion Vibes”. She is a seasoned journalist who is dedicated to delivering the latest news to her readers. With a keen sense of what’s important, Mary covers a wide range of topics, from politics to lifestyle and everything in between.
