EU parliament approves resolution to define rape as sex without consent

The resolution aimed at introducing the concept of consent into rape legislation in the 27 member states of the European Union was adopted on Tuesday by a large majority – with 447 votes in favour, 160 against and 43 abstentions. The text urges that "only a clear, affirmative, freely given and unambiguous indication of consent is valid" in sexual relations. It adds that "silence, a lack of verbal or physical resistance or the absence of a ‘no’ cannot be interpreted as consent". Any sexual act outside this framework, it says, should be considered rape. The text also stresses that prior...