Government backs broader definition of rape

The Swiss government has backed a parliamentary motion to expand the legal definition of rape. Forced sexual acts would be punished more severely, homosexual rape would be recognised and a woman could be convicted for rape. In current Swiss criminal law, rape is defined as an act committed by a male against a female and forced sexual acts are subject to lesser minimum penalties. The motion was proposed by a centre-left Social Democrat parliamentarian from Geneva. The governments answer was published on Thursday. Switzerland’s Federal Council (executive body) rejected a similar motion in 2014, deeming that the matter was not urgent but recognising that Swiss law defines rape more narrowly than in many countries. Parliament last year authorised the government to ratify the Council of Europe Convention on preventing and combating violence against women and domestic violence, which defines rape without reference to gender. Laurence Fehlmann Rielle, who introduced the motion, ...