Europe adopts a law on violence against women, without including rape. Due to opposition from several member states, including France and Germany, the directive will not include a definition of this crime.
In French law, rape is characterized by an act of penetration committed by “ violence, coercion, threat or surprise ” In Belgium, the authorities went further in 2002, by defining rape as sexual intercourse without consent. Spain, for its part, stipulates that the agreement must be formulated explicitly.