Latest news with #CrimeandJustice
South Wales Argus
22-04-2025
- Politics
- South Wales Argus
Jane Mudd police and crime commissioner on racism
The Macpherson Inquiry into the case uncovered many failings by the police including institutional racism and corruption. It led to major changes in policing throughout the UK and from the awful tragedy of Stephen's murder came the positive catalyst for change. This is Stephen's legacy. As we mark National Stephen Lawrence Day this week, I have been considering how I can play my part in continuing this legacy and make a difference for our communities. Stephen's killers were motivated by hate. My commitment to tackle hate crime has a prominent place in my newly launched Police, Crime and Justice Plan. I want our communities to be places where everyone can live their lives as themselves, free from fear and harm. Where everyone treats each other with the values of acceptance, tolerance, and respect. When the behaviour of those who do not share these values crosses over into hate, we must take firm and appropriate action. This is one of the challenges of a growing and diverse population, and policing must rise to the challenge. I know from speaking with so many people over the last year that when residents receive an efficient, effective and above all professional service from the police, when they feel they have been treated with respect, it builds their trust and confidence in their police force. This leads to more issues being reported, more intelligence gathered and, ultimately, to more crime prevented. Everyone gets a better service as a result. We have the right to expect our police officers to act with the highest standards of behaviour, to use their powers proportionally and ethically, and to be accountable for their decision-making. Ensuring that this is a focus for Gwent Police is a priority for me during my time in office. Chief Constable Mark Hobrough has repeatedly made it clear that this is also a key priority for him and his senior leadership team, and it is my job to hold him to account to ensure this is delivered. We have come so far in the last 32 years since Stephen's death, and we must continue this momentum. We must continue to work together to call out intolerance and hatred in our communities, to build trust and confidence between our residents and the police, and to ensure that our public institutions are delivering the best possible service to the highest possible standards. This is what I have committed to during my time in office and what I aim to deliver for the people of Gwent. This is Stephen's legacy.
New York Times
01-04-2025
- Politics
- New York Times
France Debates Adding a Missing Word to Its Rape Law: Consent
Many countries require that consent be given before sex — and have written that into their rape laws. France is not among them. Now, two lawmakers hope to change that. Debate has begun on their bill, and a vote, in the powerful lower house of the French Parliament, is expected on Tuesday. Their cause has gained traction after a horrific trial last fall in which dozens of men were convicted of raping Gisèle Pelicot while she was in a deeply drugged state. If the bill passes, it would then go to the Senate. Here is some background on why the change is being suggested and who objects. How does France define rape? French law defines rape as any form of sexual penetration committed on another person — woman or man — by violence, constraint, threat or surprise. The lawmakers want to expand that definition by including nonconsensual penetration. The bill states that consent implies that it is 'given freely' and stipulates that it 'can be withdrawn before or during the sexual act.' It also states that consent 'cannot be inferred from silence or absence of resistance' and says that true consent cannot be given when a person is in a 'situation of vulnerability. Why change the definition? Marie-Charlotte Garin, one of the two lawmakers proposing the change, said that experts report that up to 70 percent of rape victims freeze or dissociate during sex, rendering them incapable of resisting. Yet a lack of resistance is often perceived by the courts as permission. Catherine Le Magueresse, a legal scholar and proponent of the change, said, 'We have court decisions where it is written, 'In the absence of resistance from Madame, Monsieur could not have been aware of raping her.'' In most rape cases, attackers' main defense is that they believed the plaintiff wanted to have sex, Ms. Le Magueresse said. 'We would be adding a safety step for women, and then he couldn't even say, 'I thought she agreed,'' added Ms. Le Magueresse, author of the book 'The Consent Traps.' Other backers of the change say it would broaden the lens of police investigations to look into whether the accused actively sought and acquired the consent of the plaintiff, instead of mostly looking for proof of her resistance. And, perhaps most important, they believe it will reduce the level of impunity when it comes to the crime in France. Do other countries include consent in rape laws? Yes. Here is a sampling. In Canada, the definition of rape has included affirmative consent since 1983. In Europe, the real push to include consent in the penal code occurred after the arrival of #MeToo in 2017. Since then, the number of European countries including consent in their laws has grown to 20 from seven, according to a 2024 report in the International Journal of Law, Crime and Justice. Why are some activists against including consent in the law? Among those against the change are some feminist activists and lawyers. They say it will actually make things worse for victims by keeping investigators' attention on victims' actions rather than on those of the accused. 'It's a total trap,' said Lorraine Questiaux, a lawyer who focuses on defending female victims of violence. 'Rape has nothing to do with consent. It is about domination.' The French feminist philosopher Manon Garcia, who has published a book about the Pelicot trial, said changing the law would not fix the deeper social problems the case exposed. What's needed is not 'a small change in the legal definition of rape,' she said during an interview with the radio station France Culture. 'It's having funds for the police, funds for the justice systems, funds for education, educating little boys and men to be introspective and put themselves in other people's shoes, to understand that women are human beings they can love.' How did the Pelicot trial affect the debate? The Pelicot case stunned France. Ms. Pelicot's ex-husband was convicted of inviting other men to join him in raping her after he had drugged her into a stupor. The court also convicted the 50 other defendants, most of them on rape charges. French jurisprudence already holds that penetrating someone who is drugged or asleep is automatically rape. Still, the head judge, Roger Arata, asked one defendant after another if they believed Ms. Pelicot had consented to sex. Many admitted that they had never spoken to her and said that they believed her husband consented for her, a shock to many in France. 'We would not be here without the Pelicot trial,' Ms. Garin, the lawmaker, said. 'It revealed how big rape culture is in France and, because of that, it became politicly unacceptable to not change something in the law.'
