Campaigning for consent-based definitions of rape across the EU
29th April 2026: Rape Crisis Ireland (RCI) recently participated in a session hosted by the European Institute for Gender Equality (EIGE) to highlight the need to campaign for an EU-wide consent-based definition of rape. The online event was arranged to coordinate with Denim Day – a global initiative that challenges the harmful myth that what someone wears can justify assault. To date, only 18 EU member states have introduced consent-based definitions of rape into their legislation.
The session underscored a critical reality: sexual violence is not always about physical force. EU data shows that women are more frequently raped when unable to refuse or under coercion than through the use of force. This makes the legal definition of rape all the more important, and yet only 18 of 27 EU member states have adopted a consent-based definition.
Our Executive Director, Dr Clíona Saidléar, shared the steps taken by RCI and our partners that led to the successful enactment of a definition of consent in Irish sexual violence law in 2017. She said:
“There is no one quick fix to sexual violence. It’s not about sex – it’s about power – and until we talk about consent and coercion, we don’t understand sexual violence because we have left power out of the room.”
Legal change is necessary, but not sufficient. Cultural change – in schools, higher education, institutions, and communities – is equally vital. The session closed with discussion on what more needs to be done – beyond legislation – to drive that societal shift.
“There is no one quick fix to sexual violence,” Dr Saidléar said. “Every time we achieve something, we then have to do the next piece of work. It is relentless in that way, but we shouldn’t lose hope. The really critical thing for us was not just the definition: it’s the awareness, it’s what we do in terms of culture, in terms of changing mindsets, in terms of institutions, and structuring that conversation and the standards around consent. So, for example, we have been working on building these modules into the school curriculum and into Higher Education institutions‘ responsibility to prevent and respond to sexual violence also.
“It’s about giving responsibility to the whole of society, the institutions and community, to ensure that cultural change happens … Culture matters in terms of how we can name sexual violence.”
