France has passed a law defining rape as any sexual act to which consent was not given. This decision follows the case of Gisèle Pélicot, whose husband drugged her and then allowed men to rape her, Politico reports .
The bill specifies that consent to sexual intercourse must be given “voluntarily and knowingly” before the specific act is performed. It can also be revoked at any time. The document also stipulates that consent cannot be inferred “solely based on the victim’s silence or lack of response.”
Before the law was passed, French law defined sexual violence as acts carried out using “force, coercion, threats or surprise.”
In December 2024, Politico reported that 51 men were involved in the Pelico rape case. The 71-year-old woman was raped more than 200 times over 10 years. Her husband, Dominic, drugged Pelico, then allowed the men to rape her, filming the entire ordeal.
An Avignon court sentenced Pélico’s husband to 20 years in prison. The other defendants in the case received sentences ranging from three to 15 years in prison.
