On September 27, French Minister of Justice Didier Migaud spoke out in favor of adding the notion of consent to the Penal Code. At present, the law focuses on proof of “violence, constraint, threat or surprise”, leaving out the crucial element of consent. This approach has led to a discouraging reality: a staggering 94% of rape complaints are dismissed.
Our partner Antoine Camus, counsel to Gisèle Pelicot and her family, discusses the notion of consent in the definition of rape, in an interview with France Info.
“You can consent to a sexual act that you don’t want in order to have peace, because you’re trying to put an end to a harassment situation, you can consent to it to keep your job, for various reasons. So introducing the notion of consent into the law on rape should not backfire on the victims,” says Antoine Camus.
France Info – Including consent in rape legislation: a divisive idea
