Legal definition of rape in Czechia to change from January

President Petr Pavel signed an amendment on Friday which will change the definition of rape in Czech law from forced to non-consensual sexual intercourse. The change will apply from January of next year. The bill also stipulates that sexual intercourse with a minor under 12 years of age must always be treated as rape or sexual assault, and never as the less serious crime of sexual abuse.

Sixteen European countries have changed their legal definitions of rape in recent years, with some countries such as Croatia, Spain and Greece changing it according to the principle of "yes means yes" (i.e. the absence of active consent is all this is needed to prove rape), while others, like Czechia, have changed it according to the "no means no" principle (i.e. physical or verbal coercion doesn't have to be proven and a lack of consent can be proven by means other than verbal). Some EU states, such as France and Austria, still have a legal definition of rape based on the use of violence or threats.