BrowsePetitions#706166
PETITIONClosedPetition · petition.parliament.uk

Change the legal definition of Rape to allow women to be charged with rape

Amend the current legal definition of rape to allow for women to be charged with it, rather than just men as is the current situation laid out by the Sexual Offences Act.

Last fetched 03 May 2026 · petition.parliament.uk
Signatures
252
signatures
Government response threshold (10,000) · 252/10,000
Debate threshold (100,000) · 252/100,000
Background
If this government is dedicated to equality, then I believe it should amend the legal definition to allow all sexes to be charged with rape. I believe the implication the current definition has, i.e. that women can not commit rape, is damaging to the idea of gender equality and changing it would symbolise significant progress in this area. Of course women can be charged with other offences, but I think the current inequality in terminology is a slap in the face to male victims.