Alexandra English

Consent is really a contested gray area in France. The French law defines rape as an act of sexual penetration committed by violence, coercion, threat, or surprise. And so Giselle's case falls into that surprise category.

because they weren't a stranger in a dark car park, because they didn't have a knife, because they didn't hold her down, do all these stereotypical movie Hollywood type ideas of rape. So all these men could get up there and go, well, I didn't mean to do that. That wasn't my intention. I thought she was part of this. And then they're protected in that way.

Women's rights activists and lawmakers have been trying to amend that wording to say that sex without consent is rape and also that consent can be withdrawn at any time. And then on top of that, that there are certain mental and physical states that a person can be in where they cannot be considered to be giving consent.

So, you know, having drunken too much, being in a poor mental state, things like that.

I have read reports that more women have already started to come forward, which I think is a huge positive sign that things will change. I think what then matters is how they're treated once they come forward.