The EU Parliament voted no to criminalize rape

The directive is already historic: It is the first of its kind in EU which takes a comprehensive approach to gender-based violence against women. With one exception: Rape.

Rape is criminalized in most EU countries, but the laws differ and are enforced differently. For the EU Parliament, it was therefore important to get a common definition and common minimum penalty in place.

The frustration was great when the matter was debated in the EU Parliament on Tuesday, the day before the vote.

– I cannot say yes to this. We have wasted a huge opportunity, said Italian EU parliamentarian Pina Picierno.

She is not the only one who rages against the fact that rape has been removed from the legal package

The Council of Ministers said no

– Every seven minutes there is a rape in the EU. Fewer than 1 percent are punished. I cannot express strongly enough how angry I am, asked French Manon Aubry from the party group The Left.

An unusually large majority in the parliament would have rape, defined as sex without consent, included in the list of actions that will henceforth be criminalized throughout the EU, such as genital mutilation and forced marriage.

But several member states sat on the back foot and flatly said no, among them the heavyweights France and Germany, as well as Hungary.

After more than a year of negotiations, they were unable to budge, NTB is told in parliament.

Compromise

The compromise became measures to prevent rape, such as prevention through increased awareness. In addition, the directive must be revised already in three years. That means another chance to include rape on the list.

Swedish Evin Incir from the party group S & D, who has been the spokesperson for the directive, makes no secret of the fact that she would like to see a different outcome.

– I am very disappointed that some member states choose to be on the wrong side of history. But I still hope that, by contributing to a cultural shift around consent in Europe, we can pave the way for such legislation in the future, she says.

The list of what will now be considered criminal acts also includes online violence such as spreading intimate images and cyber-stalking.

In addition, the directive ensures that victims of violence have access to health services and legal assistance.

Big differences

Until now, there have been big differences between the EU countries when it comes to dealing with violence against women.

According to a survey from 2014, about one in five women has experienced physical and/or sexual violence from a partner or ex-partner.

43 per cent have experienced psychological violence and/or abuse in the home, while one in 20 has been raped.

But the figures are uncertain because a great deal of the violence is never reported.

The directive must now be formally approved by the Council of Ministers before it enters into force.