Petition · past parliament
Change the legal definition of rape as stated by the 2003 Sexual Offences Act
Rejected
15 signatures
What the petition asks
The law makes a differentiation between rape and assault by penetration.It implies that only penetration with a penis is considered rape, when penetration of another person's vagina/anus/mouth by an object or a part of the body is not considered rape. Revise the definition to include the latter
The current rape definition completely disregards the enormity of the psychological and physical trauma endured by the victim, of any form of penetration other than that of a penis. The definition of rape in the UK is, therefore, worryingly inappropriate and misguided. It quite simply does not offer anything approaching a suitable level of protection or justice for the victim, or an adequate deterrent for the perpetrator.
Why it was rejected
There was already a petition about this issue. Duplicates are rejected so signatures collect in one place.
Timeline
| 22 Jan 2021 | Petition opened for signatures |
| 12 Mar 2021 | Rejected by the Petitions Committee |
Key facts
Signatures
15
Status
Rejected
Rejected
12 Mar 2021
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Source: the official petition page. Last checked 15 Jul 2026.