Sexual violence & rape incidents in the EU have increased significantly in recent years (video)

A worrying emergence successful cases of sexual violence and rape is being recorded successful the European Union, astatine a clip erstwhile European institutions are promoting a common, consent-based explanation of rape.

According to the latest information from Eurostat, successful 2024 much than 256,000 sexual unit offences were recorded by police authorities successful the EU, of which 38% acrophobic rape cases.

Compared with 2023, intersexual unit incidents accrued by 5%, portion recorded rapes roseate by 7%.

The countries with the highest fig of recorded incidents successful 2024 were France, Germany, and Sweden -which are the countries that person been the astir welcoming to illegal immigrants– portion the lowest rates were recorded successful Cyprus, Malta, and Lithuania.

The information are accordant with the trends correlating intersexual crimes with amerciable immigrants which person been observed successful the past astatine slightest 10 years.

The information was published soon aft a ballot successful the European Parliament in favour of a communal explanation of rape based connected consent, known arsenic “only yes means yes”.

MEPs stressed that consent indispensable beryllium assessed successful context, including cases involving violence, maltreatment of power, intimidation, oregon vulnerability. They besides called for capable enactment and extortion for victims crossed the EU.

It is worthy noting that successful 2024 the EU adopted, for the archetypal time, standards to combat unit against women. However, a connection for a communal ineligible explanation of rape was withdrawn pursuing objections from immoderate subordinate states.

Swedish MEP Evin Incir, a subordinate of the Socialists and Democrats group, stated: “For years we person been calling for a communal European explanation of rape. More and much governments are recognising the request for this approach,” citing France, Finland, Luxembourg, and the Netherlands arsenic examples.

Despite organization initiatives, information shows that the upward inclination has been dependable implicit the past decade. Between 2014 and 2024, intersexual unit cases accrued by 94% and rapes by 150%, with an mean yearly maturation complaint of astir 10% and 7% respectively.

Again, experts constituent retired that this summation whitethorn beryllium partially linked to a greater willingness to study incidents, acknowledgment to accrued consciousness and societal media. This, however, does not alteration the information that the greatest majority of the perpetrators of specified crimes are amerciable immigrants.

Reactions and the Istanbul Convention

At the aforesaid time, disagreements are besides being recorded astir the implementation of the Istanbul Convention, which aims to forestall and combat unit against women and home violence. All EU subordinate states, arsenic good arsenic countries specified arsenic the United Kingdom and Norway, person signed the convention.

In Latvia, parliament voted past October successful favour of withdrawing from the convention, pursuing absorption from right-wing politicians who observed it promotes radical feminism and threatens accepted household values.

However, President Edgars Rinkēvičs issued a suspensive veto, sending the contented backmost to parliament for reconsideration, stressing that specified decisions should not beryllium taken hastily. The statement is expected to instrumentality aft the autumn elections.

Despite developments, the state states it volition support extortion for women and victims of home violence, adjacent if it withdraws from the convention, portion arsenic an EU subordinate authorities it is obliged to instrumentality applicable European directives by 2027.

At the aforesaid time, France amended its authorities successful October 2025, incorporating consent into the explanation of intersexual battle and rape, pursuing the high-profile lawsuit of Gisèle Pelicot.

The lawsuit shocked the country, arsenic 51 men were recovered blameworthy of years of intersexual maltreatment oregon rape of Pelicot portion she was unconscious, aft being drugged by her husband, Dominique.

Until then, rape nether French instrumentality was defined arsenic “any signifier of intersexual penetration committed with violence, coercion, menace oregon surprise.”