Push to enshrine consent in rape laws encounters obstacles in Europe

She was just 11. And when it was over, she called her mom and told her that a man she met in the park took her back to his apartment and had sex with her. Her mother called the police to report rape.

But when the case went on trial, the perpetrator initially only faced charges of sexual abuse – a misdemeanor – because the girl had not been subjected to “threat, violence, surprise, or constraint.” One of the four elements is necessary for a rape conviction in France, even for minors.

The case went public just as the sex assault claims came showering down on Hollywood mogul Harvey Weinstein, and France, like much of the

'If there is not consent, it's an act of violence'Symbolic politics?