Sex without consent is rape. European laws must reflect that

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Frequently, laws place the burden on those who have been raped to prove that they – most often women – are victims.  This must change, and there is a clear route to achieve this (Photo: Iga Lubczanska)
Sex without consent is rape. European laws must reflect that
EU Political
Opinion
by Marija Pejčinović Burić, Strasbourg, 
According to Amnesty International, some 9,000,000 women in the EU have been raped since the age of 15. 
This already alarming number is even higher across the 47 Council of Europe member states. 
Equally worrying is that too few of our members treat this crime as seriously as they should, because their legal definitions of rape are not based on lack of consent.
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EU PoliticalOpinion
DisclaimerThe views expressed in this opinion piece are the author’s, not those of EUobserverAuthor BioMarija Pejčinović Burić is secretary general of the Council of Europe in Strasbourg.
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Frequently, laws place the burden on those who have been raped to prove that they – most often women – are victims. This must change, and there is a clear route to achieve this (Photo: Iga Lubczanska)