France’s government has announced its intention to set the age of sexual consent at 15 to make it easier to punish child sexual abuse, amid growing public pressure and a wave of online testimonies about rape and other sexual violence by parents and authority figures.
France’s lack of an age of consent and statutes of limitations have complicated efforts to prosecute alleged perpetrators, including recent cases involving a prominent modelling agent, a predatory priest, a surgeon and a group of firefighters accused of systematic abuse.
Under current French law, sexual relations between an adult and a minor under 15 are banned. Yet the law accepts the possibility that someone under 15 is capable of consenting to sex, leading to cases where an adult is only prosecuted for sexual assault instead of rape. Calling such treatment of children “intolerable,” the Justice Ministry said “the government is determined to act quickly to implement the changes that our society expects.”
“An act of sexual penetration by an adult on a minor under 15 will be considered a rape,” Justice Minister Eric Dupond-Moretti told reporters. Perpetrators can no longer cite consent to diminish the charges, he said, though exceptions would be made for teenagers having consensual sex.
Child protection activists and victims celebrated the announcement, but say France needs to do more as a society to stop this abuse. “Finally!” said Fatima Benomar, whose group Les Effrontees, has pushed for tougher rules against sexual abusers of children.
“It’s very good that there is this revived debate, that there is an idea of a minimum age (of consent). … This will make adults more responsible.”
Fatima Benomar
Last month, accusations of incestuous sexual abuse involving a prominent French political expert, Olivier Duhamel emerged in the country that unleashed an online #MeTooInceste movement in France leading to tens of thousands of similar testimonies. Other prominent figures in cinema and politics have also been accused.
The change still needs to be enshrined in law, but activists say the announcement is a major step after years of efforts to toughen French protection for child victims of rape and other sexual violence.
The Justice Ministry also revealed it is in discussions with victims’ groups about “toughening punishment of incestuous abuse and extending or abolishing the statute of limitations on sexual violence against children.” Mr Dupond-Moretti explained that this is because these acts create such deep trauma that it can take decades for victims to speak out.
The ministry also says it wants “to ensure that victims of the same perpetrator receive different legal treatment,” which could broaden the scope to prosecute those accused of abusing multiple people over decades.
Activists say improving laws is part of the battle, but they also are pushing for more child-centred public policies to train teachers and others to spot and report abuse. The World Health Organization says international studies show that one in five women and one in 13 men report having been sexually abused as a child.
