"Lawmakers in France on Wednesday joined other European nations by passing a new consent-based law redefining rape as any sexual act that occurs without consent. The law, which was passed in France's Senate by a vote of 327-0 with 15 abstentions, says consent must be "freely given, informed, specific, prior and revocable," adding that it cannot be inferred through "silence or lack of reaction." The bill states that "any nonconsensual sexual act constitutes sexual assault.""
"Until now, rape under French law was solely defined as penetration or oral sex using "violence, coercion, threat or surprise," which the new law says negate any concept of consent. Centrist lawmaker Veronique Riotton, a co-sponsor of the bill, said its passage signaled a step away "from a culture of rape to a culture of consent." "This is a historic step forward, following in the footsteps of several other European countries," said Lola Schulmann, advocacy officer at Amnesty International France."
France redefines rape to mean any sexual act that occurs without consent, and the Senate approved the law by a 327-0 vote with 15 abstentions. Consent is required to be freely given, informed, specific, prior and revocable, and cannot be inferred from silence or lack of reaction. The bill declares any nonconsensual sexual act to be sexual assault. Previous French law defined rape only as penetration or oral sex involving violence, coercion, threat or surprise. Advocacy groups praised the reform but urged further measures, including improved sex education, police training, and resources for survivors. Far-right lawmakers opposed the change as subjective and hard to grasp.
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