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2w ago

European Parliament Urges EU-Wide 'Only Yes Means Yes' Rape Law

The non-binding vote presses the European Commission to draft legislation despite disputes over EU authority.

A demonstration with the slogan ''Without consent, it's rape'' takes place in Rome, Italy, on February 28, 2026.
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Ongeveer 1000 vrouwen komen bijeen op de Dam in Amsterdam voor de Women's March 2022 (5 maart). Op de foto de vrouwen die zich inzetten voor Amnesty International. Zij vragen aandacht voor hun campagne: 'Let's talk about Yes'. Hierin strijden ze voor een betere wet tegen verkrachting. Volgens de huidige wet is een persoon niet verkracht als er geen tekenen zijn van dwang, terwijl 70% van de verkrachtingsslachtoffers 'bevriest' van angst en zich daardoor niet kan verzetten. Amnesty vindt daarom dat verkrachtingsslachtoffers binnen de huidige wet onvoldoende worden beschermd. Foto: Marieke van der Velden / ANP

Overview

  • The European Parliament, which approved the resolution Tuesday, backed it 447–160 with 43 abstentions and called on the Commission to table EU-wide rules.
  • The text says sex counts as rape without voluntary consent and it rejects silence, lack of resistance, past sexual history, or a relationship as consent while noting freeze and fawn trauma responses do not equal consent.
  • Across the bloc, 21 of 27 countries already use consent-based laws, while others still rely on force requirements or a 'no means no' model that focuses on resistance.
  • Next comes a Commission proposal that would face negotiations with member states, where several governments argue the EU lacks treaty power to set a single criminal-law definition.
  • Pressure for common standards has grown after France rewrote its code in 2025 following the Pelicot case and after reporting on online 'rape academies' and drug-facilitated assaults exposed gaps in protecting victims.