The EU must urgently adopt a common definition of rape, Fine Gael MEP Maria Walsh has said, warning that the current lack of agreement leaves victims unprotected across European countries.
In the European Parliament, MEP Maria Walsh called on the Commissioner for Equality Hadja Lahbib to introduce legislation establishing an EU-wide definition of rape based on the requirement of freely given, informed and revocable consent.
MEP Maria Walsh, a full member of the Gender Equality Committee, said:
“In Ireland, we have made progress in recent years in recognising that consent must be at the heart of our understanding of sexual offences. But across the European Union, that same clarity does not yet exist, leaving victims without equal protection depending on where they live. A single, EU-wide definition of rape is essential to ensure that no victim is left behind simply because of borders.
“In the European Parliament I raised this issue directly with Commissioner for Equality Hadja Lahbib. I doubled down on my calls for a common definition following the disturbing discovery of a Telegram group involving nearly 1,000 men sharing step-by-step instructions on how to drug and rape their partners. This is organised, cross-border abuse which underlines why a European-wide response is needed.
“Any definition of rape must be based on one clear principle: consent. Consent must be freely given, fully informed and always revocable. While that may seem like common sense to many people in Ireland, we cannot ignore the reality that not all EU countries have reached that point.
“We are in the middle of an epidemic of online gender-based violence, from encrypted messaging groups to the spread of AI-generated deepfakes. These threats do not end online nor do they stop at national borders – and neither can our response.
“The European Commission must act with urgency to establish a clear, consent-based legal standard across the EU. Regardless of where you live, love or work in the EU you deserve the same protection and access to justice as your European neighbours.”