After years of public debate and a series of shocking trials, France has passed a historic reform to its sexual assault laws — officially recognizing that sex without explicit, mutual consent is rape. The move marks a decisive cultural and legal shift in a country that long prided itself on defending human rights, yet struggled to define sexual violence in its own courts.
A Case That Shook France
The debate began with a disturbing case that horrified the nation. Dominique Pelicot, a man from southern France, admitted to drugging his wife, Gisèle Pelicot, and allowing dozens of men to assault her while she was unconscious.
During the trial, Pelicot told the court, “I am a rapist, like everyone else in this room.” All 51 men charged in connection with the case were found guilty in December 2024.
The case triggered a national reckoning over one painful question: does the absence of resistance equal consent? Public anger and women’s rights protests pressured lawmakers to reform outdated definitions of sexual assault.
A Landmark Reform in 2025
On October 29 2025, the French Senate approved a bill redefining rape as any sexual act committed without clear, informed, and mutual consent.
Under the new legislation, silence or lack of resistance can no longer be interpreted as consent, and consent must be free, informed, specific, and revocable.
Once signed by President Emmanuel Macron, the reform will bring France in line with European countries such as Sweden, Spain, Belgium, and Germany, which already use consent-based definitions of rape.
Human Rights Watch welcomed the bill as “a long-overdue step toward justice,” noting that “rape is defined by lack of consent, not necessarily by force.”
Allegations Within the Police Force
Just a day after the Senate’s vote, France was shaken again. The Paris prosecutor’s office announced that two police officers had been arrested for allegedly raping a 26-year-old woman in custody at the Bobigny court detention center.
Both officers — aged 23 and 35 — had joined the force only months earlier. The incident renewed concerns about sexual violence even within the justice system itself.
Public Transport: Unsafe for Women
According to the National Observatory on Violence Against Women, seven in ten women in the Île-de-France region (Paris and its suburbs) have faced sexual harassment or assault on public transport.
In 2024 alone, police recorded 3,374 sexual violence cases across public transport — up six percent from 2023.
More than 75 percent of the victims were under 30, and nearly half of all cases occurred in Paris. Still, only about 7 percent of victims filed formal complaints, citing fear of dismissal or distrust of police investigations.
A Hidden Epidemic
Data from Eurostat and France’s Interior Ministry show that the country has one of the highest rape rates in Europe, with around 67 rapes reported every day in 2018 — roughly three every hour.
In 2022, approximately 270,000 women suffered physical sexual violence (rape or attempted rape), while over 1.1 million endured non-physical sexual harassment.
In 2023, more than 114,000 official complaints were filed — a 7 percent rise compared with 2022.
Many victims report assaults only years later; half of the complaints registered in 2023 were filed more than six months after the event, and 17 percent more than five years later.
Teenage Victims and Domestic Violence
Of all registered cases, roughly 65,000 victims were minors, most of them girls, though boys aged 9 to 19 also face increasing risk.
Meanwhile, domestic violence remains a major cause of death for women: on average, one woman is killed every three days by her partner or ex-partner, with at least 122 femicides recorded in 2024.
New Sexual Education Plan Sparks Debate
Beginning in the 2025–2026 school year, French schools will introduce a new curriculum on “sexual life and human relationships,” designed to promote respect and challenge gender stereotypes.
Supporters argue that early education can reduce sexual violence and teach healthy relationships.
Critics — including Ludovine de La Rochère, head of the Family Associations Federation — warn that the program could weaken parental authority and cultural traditions.
A Cultural Turning Point
France’s adoption of a consent-based rape law marks a historic turning point.
By placing consent at the center of sexual ethics and justice, the country acknowledges what survivors and advocates have long demanded: that the absence of a clear “yes” means “no.”
Whether this reform will bring real change for women’s safety depends on its enforcement — and on whether French society is ready to confront its own culture of silence.
From: Reuters