Amnesty International on Saturday called on European nations to amend “outdated laws” and categorise sex without consent as rape. The international organisation said a survey of 31 European nations indicated that a majority of the governments only categorise a sexual crime as rape when physical violence, threat or coercion is involved.
On the eve of the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women, Amnesty International said “flawed legislation and a dangerous culture of victim blaming” is leading to many accused going scot-free.
The organisation observed that rape is under-reported in Europe. “Although movements like #MeToo have inspired many women to speak out about their experiences, the sad fact is that rape remains hugely under-reported in Europe,” said Anna Blus, Amnesty International’s Researcher on Western Europe and Women’s Rights. “Women’s fear of not being believed is confirmed time and time again, as we see courageous survivors who do seek justice frequently failed by outdated and harmful definitions of rape in law and treated appallingly by justice officials.”
The analysis found that only eight nations – Ireland, the UK, Belgium, Cyprus, Germany, Iceland, Luxembourg and Sweden – define rape as sex without consent. “Sweden changed the definition only in the past few months, in response to years of campaigning by Amnesty and others,” the statement said.
In April, protests broke out in Spain after an outdated law led to a court charging the accused with an sexual abuse instead of rape.
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