Despite the Council of Europe’s Convention on preventing and combating violence against
women and domestic violence, the numerous reforms of sexual offences in Europe, and the Euro-
pean Union’s Proposal for a Directive on the same subject, there seems to be no European consen-
sus on the definition of rape. Nevertheless, all French-speaking European countries have recently
amended their Criminal Codes on the subject. Building on the European debates, this paper offers
a systematic analysis of the evolution of criminal law on the definition of rape, by comparing the
legal frameworks of Belgium, France, Luxembourg and Switzerland. Although there are common
trends in the broadening of sexual acts and the inclusion of consent as a core element of rape,
differences and challenges remain