23/03/2026 Equality and Non-Discrimination
“The issue of consent in sexual relations, considered for too long a taboo, has made the headlines of mainstream media and debates,” a committee of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) has stressed, warning that consent “can no longer be sidelined or undermined.”
Adopting the draft resolution based on the report by Zita Gurmai (Hungary, SOC), the committee called for the integration of free and informed consent in national legislation on preventing and combating sexual violence, alongside decisive action to end impunity and challenge deeply rooted rape culture and structural inequalities that continue to protect perpetrators.
The committee therefore urged states to align their legal frameworks with the Istanbul Convention, including by adopting a “only yes means yes” approach, recognising marital rape, and addressing new forms of abuse such as the non-consensual manipulation and dissemination of intimate images. It also highlighted the need to take into account situations of vulnerability and to ensure that consent is never assumed or coerced.
Beyond legislation, the committee called for a comprehensive societal shift which would pave the way for a culture of consent: strengthening awareness-raising efforts, embedding consent education throughout school curricula, and ensuring robust support systems for survivors, including legal assistance, medical care, and psychological support, while prioritising the prosecution of perpetrators and sustained backing for organisations working in this field.