FRANCE
The Guardian
October 16 2017
By Kim Willsher
MPs to debate measures including a clear age of consent after court dropped rape charge in case involving an 11-year-old girl
French MPs are to debate legislation to crack down on sexist or sexual aggression and harassment, especially assaults on children.
A proposed legal bill would set down a clear age of consent for minors after a shocking case in which a rape charge was dropped when a court decided an 11-year-old girl had consented to sex with a man more than twice her age.
It will also give traumatised child victims more time to come forward to bring criminal charges against their attackers.
The announcement on Monday from the French equality minister, Marlène Schiappa, could hardly have come at a more appropriate time, with scores of French women coming forward to detail incidents of harassment and assault following the Harvey Weinstein scandal.
A Twitter appeal by the radio journalist Sandra Muller using #balancetonporc (squeal on your pig), encouraging women to publicly shame their attackers, was top of the French Twitter trend list over the weekend. A second international campaign #MeToo is now trending in France.
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