Amnesty International has launched a campaign to revise article 336 of Greece’s penal code and change the definition of rape from one that focuses on coercion to one based on the absence of consent for intercourse.
The organisation wants it to be recognised that “sex without consent is rape” in Greece and all around the world. The Greek penal code defines rape as intercourse through the use of physical violence or threat of serious harm. The Greek chapter of Amnesty would like the definition to include cases of rape when the perpetrator may not use violence, however still deprives the victim of free and voluntary consent.
Amnesty’s data shows that one out of 20 women over 15 years of age have been raped in the European Union (nearly 9 million women), however one in 10 has experienced sexual violence of some sort.
The organisation claims that women are often afraid or ashamed to ask for help after sexual abuse and others don’t press charges because they fear that they will be stigmatised.
Amnesty has started a petition that it will submit to Justice Minister Michalis Kalogirou.
