Petition · past parliament · Ministry of Justice
Change the Sexual Offences Act so women can be charged with rape against men
Closed
1,690 signatures
What the petition asks
Change the current legal definition of rape to also include male victims of females
People found guilty of rape normally get longer sentences compared to people found guilty of sexual assault
With no aggravating factors, the suggested sentence for rape is longer than the suggested sentence for sexual assault
Rape is also often viewed as worse than sexual assault
It also means that rape is seen as a gendered crime on rape statistics in which only men are the perpetrators and women are the victims, which is false.
With no aggravating factors, the suggested sentence for rape is longer than the suggested sentence for sexual assault
Rape is also often viewed as worse than sexual assault
It also means that rape is seen as a gendered crime on rape statistics in which only men are the perpetrators and women are the victims, which is false.
Timeline
| 2 Nov 2020 | Petition opened for signatures |
| 2 May 2021 | Closed to new signatures |
Key facts
Signatures
1,690
Status
Closed
Department
Ministry of Justice
Opened
2 Nov 2020
Closed
2 May 2021
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Source: the official petition page. Last checked 15 Jul 2026.