France Strengthens Rape Laws Mandating Explicit Consent Following Pelicot Case

France has strengthened its rape laws to mandate explicit consent following the Pelicot case, aiming to clarify definitions of consent in sexual assault cases.

• In the Pelicot case, defense lawyers argued that the accused could not be guilty of Rape due to a lack of awareness regarding the victims ability to consent.
• The new legislation, passed by the Senate (France), defines consent as free and informed, specific, prior and revocable, making previous defenses more challenging.
• The revision to the Code pénal (France) aims to enhance protections against sexual assault, addressing gaps that allowed ambiguous consent interpretations.