European Parliament backs EU-wide consent-based definition of rape

European Parliament lawmakers voted on Tuesday in favour of a consent-based definition of rape — known as "only yes means yes" — and urged the European Commission to propose legislation establishing EU-wide rules.



The EU adopted minimum standards to combat violence against women for the first time in 2024, but a proposed article to create a common definition of rape was dropped after opposition from several member states.



"Silence, lack of resistance, the absence of a 'no', previous consent, past sexual conduct, or any current or previous relationship must not be interpreted as consent," the Parliament said in a statement after the vote on the report.



The report also recognises two trauma responses, clarifying that neither can be interpreted as consent. It identifies the "freeze response", a reaction to fear or threat that can lead to temporary paralysis and a loss of the ability to speak, and the "fawn response", which is a survival strategy.