Petition · past parliament
Change the legal definition of statutory rape so that men can be raped too.
Rejected
19 signatures
What the petition asks
In UK law, only a man can rape somebody else as it is legally defined as penetration via a penis. I believe that men can be raped and should be able to press charges should such an event happen.
"Rape is a statutory offence in England and Wales. According to the law, a rape can only be committed by a male as the penetration can only be done with his penis. If a victim is forcefully penetrated with an object, this is classed as Sexual Assault by Penetration, in English law." - https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rape_in_English_law
Why it was rejected
There was already a petition about this issue. Duplicates are rejected so signatures collect in one place.
Timeline
| 16 Mar 2016 | Petition opened for signatures |
| 20 Mar 2016 | Rejected by the Petitions Committee |
Key facts
Signatures
19
Status
Rejected
Rejected
20 Mar 2016
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Source: the official petition page. Last checked 15 Jul 2026.