From coercion to ‘no means no’: Switzerland updates its definition of rape

On Wednesday, the government announced that Switzerland will begin implementing the new law on sexual offences from July 1, 2024. The much-awaited legislation includes an overhaul of the rather restrictive current definition of sexual coercion and rape. The Alpine nation was criticised by the Council of Europe Convention on preventing and combating violence against women and domestic violence (Istanbul Convention), of which it is a signatory, for requiring the need for threats, force or psychological pressure as a pre-condition for an offence to be classified as sexual coercion or rape. In addition, only non-consensual vaginal penetration of a woman by a man was considered rape. The new law will no longer require force to be a precondition and any non-consensual penetration, whether oral, vaginal or anal, of a man or woman will be considered rape. “The revised criminal law on sexual offences in Switzerland is a very important milestone compared to the outdated legislation...