'Without consent it is sexual violence': unanimous yes in the House
227 yes votes for the bill to amend Article 609-bis of the criminal code in its entirety
Without 'free and current consent', the crime of sexual violence is committed. This is laid down in the bill approved unanimously by the House with 227 yes votes. The text, which passes to the Senate, is the result of the approval of an amendment in the Justice Committee by Carolina Varchi of FdI and Michela Di Biase of the PD, after a negotiation that also involved the premier Giorgia Meloni and the secretary Elly Schlein. Article 609-bis of the penal code is entirely rewritten, introducing the notion of consent, in line with the Istanbul Convention, the components of which are freedom and actuality.
Schlein: a cultural revolution
"We are delighted with this great step forward for the country, a great little cultural revolution. At last, the principle of free and current consent, which was not there before, is included in Italian law. It is finally clarified that any sexual act without consent is violence, it is rape and therefore a crime,' was the comment of Dem leader Schlein.
He added: 'It was an important cross-party effort: we spoke with the President of the Council, there was excellent work by the rapporteurs Michela Di Biase and Carolina Varchi. You have also heard today the excellent speeches of Varchi and Boldrini. It was a transversal work because, as we always say, in this area of combating gender violence, we must be able to put aside the strong political differences that we have and try to make the country take a leap forward to combat and prevent gender violence'.
Fdi: good parliamentary page, no more confusion with reform
Today 'we are writing a page of good parliamentary practice because we have decided to let what unites prevail over what divides, and this was possible thanks to the generosity of President Boldrini, who with the institutional sense typical of those who have represented the institutions at the highest levels understood that it was more important to give up something in order to affirm a principle,' the co-rapporteur - together with her Dem colleague Di Biase - Fratelli d'Italia deputy Varchi said in the House during the explanations of vote. "This reform aims to eliminate confusion from the field, because on such a delicate crime, which generates social alarm, there can be no interpretative doubt and no exaggerated discretion," he added.
