By South China Morning Post | Created at 2024-10-23 12:20:42 | Updated at 2024-10-23 15:22:42
3 hours ago
France may introduce changes to its rape law to include consent for the first time, after a mass rape trial shook the country, challenging the limits of existing legislation and prompting some leading politicians to call for change.
Dominique Pelicot has admitted to drugging his wife and recruiting dozens of men online to rape her while she was unconscious and 50 men are facing trial alongside him.
Despite video evidence against them, at least 35 of the defendants have denied the rape charges, claiming that Dominique Pelicot tricked them into believing they were taking part in a sex game, or that Gisele Pelicot was feigning sleep.
The case has prompted deep soul searching in France, with consent at the heart of the matter.
France’s new Justice Minister Didier Migaud recently said he is in favour of updating the law, as has President Emmanuel Macron, after France blocked the inclusion of a consent-based rape definition in a European directive in 2023.
“I believe it is beyond understanding for our fellow citizens to refuse to include consent in the definition of rape,” Migaud told lawmakers earlier this month.
