29/04/2026
We were delighted to join the European Institute for Gender Equality (EIGE)'s session, highlighting the need to campaign to promote the adoption of an EU-wide consent-based definition of r**e. To date, only 18 EU member states have introduced consent-based definitions of r**e into their legislation.
The session was planned to coordinate with * - a global initiative that challenges harmful myths that what someone wears can justify assault. Its message is clear: responsibility always lies with the perpetrator, never the victim.
The session highlighted the fact that the percentage of women r**ed in the EU when unable to refuse or under coercion was much higher than the percentage where there was use of force. In other words, *xualViolence isn't always about force: more often, it is absence of consent.
Our Executive Director, Dr Cliona Saidlear, shared the steps taken by R**e Crisis Ireland and our partners that led to the successful enactment of a definition of consent in Irish s*xual violence law in 2017.
"There is no one quick fix to s*xual violence," she said. "Every time we achieve something, we then have to do the next piece of work. It is relentless in that way, but we shouldn't lose hope. The really critical thing for us was not just the definition: it's the awareness, it's what we do in terms of culture, in terms of changing mindsets, in terms of institutions, and structuring that conversation and the standards around consent. So, for example, we have been working on building these modules into the school curriculum and into Higher Education institutions‘ responsibility to prevent and respond to s*xual violence also.
"It's about giving responsibility to the whole of society, the institutions and community, to ensure that cultural change happens ... Culture matters in terms of how we can name s*xual violence."
"It's not about s*x - it's about power - and, until we talk about consent and coercion, we don't understand s*xual violence because we have left power out of the room."
The session concluded with discussion about what more needs to be done, beyond the adoption of a legal definition, to drive societal change.
* is a global campaign held every year on the last Wednesday in April in honour of *xualAssaultAwarenessMonth. The campaign began after a controversial ruling by the Italian Supreme Court where a r**e conviction was overturned because the justices argued that since the victim was wearing tight jeans, she must have helped her attacker remove them, implying consent. In response, the women of the Italian Parliament wore jeans to work the following day in solidarity with the victim.
You too can stand in solidarity with *xualViolence survivors everywhere and support a world where accountability, justice, and compassion prevail by wearing denim today and sharing your photo on social media with the following hashtags:
