According to the new legislation, consent is now a mandatory component in defining rape. The document states that "any sexual act without consent is considered sexual violence."
Consent must be "freely given and informed," provided for a specific act before it occurs, and can be withdrawn at any moment, as emphasized in the law. It is also noted that silence or inaction from the victim cannot be interpreted as consent.
Véronique Rioton, one of the co-authors of the bill, stated that the adoption of this law is a "positive step," confirming that Parliament is capable of addressing important issues despite the political crisis in France.
Previously, some lawmakers had attempted to introduce similar changes, but they were unsuccessful until the resonant case of Gisèle Pelico.
In 2022, the European Commission proposed to standardize the classification of any sex without consent as rape for all EU countries; however, this initiative was excluded from the bill on combating violence against women due to objections from several countries, including France.
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Gisèle Pelico is a French woman who became a victim of one of the most resonant rape cases in the country. For ten years, her ex-husband drugged her and brought dozens of men into their home who raped her while she was unconscious.
Pelico only learned about this several years later when her husband was arrested and the police discovered video recordings of his crimes. A total of 51 men were charged in connection with the rapes.
