France chop serious knock from di European Court of Human Rights (CEDH) ova how dem handle rape investigation. Di court say France fail to put in place proper laws wey dey punish non-consensual sex acts, and dem no apply di existing laws well.
Wetin Happen?
Di case concern one woman wey dem dey call E.A. She be pharmacy technician for Briey hospital back in 2010. She start relationship with her boss, K.B. Later, she accuse am of rape with torture and other offenses.
Even though di man initially get small punishment for violence and harassment, appeal court clear am completely in 2021. Dem say because di two of dem sign agreement for their relationship, dem consider am say di sex dey consensual.
Human Rights Court Talk
E.A. carry di case go CEDH, and di court agree with her. Dem say France violate Article 3 and 8 of di European Convention on Human Rights, wey dey talk about torture ban and right to privacy. Di court point out say France legal system get 'lacuna' and say dem no investigate di case properly. Dem mention say dem no include some sexual offenses wey E.A. talk about, di investigation no complete, di case take too long, and di court no assess E.A. consent well.
France go pay E.A. 20,000 euros for emotional damage and another 1,503.77 euros for legal fees.
Implications
- Dis ruling dey force France to review and strengthen dia laws on sexual assault.
- E dey show say countries need to protect people from non-consensual sex and investigate such cases properly.