Remove Gendered Language From New Zealand Rape Laws
Currently under New Zealand law section 128 which deals with sexual violation there are two options. Rape and unlawful sexual connection. Of the two only men can be charged with rape as it is defined as:
“(2) Person A rapes person B if person A has sexual connection with person B, effected by the penetration of person B’s genitalia by person A’s penis,—
(a) without person B’s consent to the connection; and
(b) without believing on reasonable grounds that person B consents to the connection.” (Crimes Act 1961)
The requirement of penetration by a penis excludes all women as rapists. We believe this is an unnecessary distinction and is inherently sexist. We would like to see the gender specific language, (penis), removed from this definition so that all rapists, regardless of gender can be charged with rape.
There have been several recent court cases involving women forcing boys to have sex. If they were men they would have been charged with rape but as women this was not possible.
We believe forced sex regardless of the gender of either victim or perpetrator is rape. The law as it stands denies equality as unlawful sexual connection is not punishable by as harsh a sentence as rape.
It denies victimhood to many females and males who have been forced to have sex by a woman.
In addressing this change in language we hope that it will be easier for victims to report such crimes and seek justice.
If you believe that New Zealand rape laws need to changed so that they reflect gender equality then please sign this petition.
https://www.toko.org.nz/p/rape-petition
Unlawful sexual connection and rape are NOT different in their sentencing tariffs. Either amounts to ‘sexual violation’ and is punishable by a maximum of 20 years imprisonment:
The actual administration of the law is almost always sexist as with every other offending category; if done by a woman she is almost certain to receive a lesser punishment than a man for equivalent offending.
There are good reasons to remove the gendered language from our rape law, but even more so for other gendered laws that actually do have differential, sexist sentencing tariffs. Male Assaults Female is punishable by twice the punishment than for any equivalent offence for which a woman could be prosecuted, while Infanticide allows women to murder young children with a maximum of 3 years imprisonment whereas a male would receive life imprisonment for exactly the same murder.
Comment by Man X Norton — Tue 14th June 2016 @ 9:45 am
I suggest that judges who are inappropriately affected by gender should be removed.
Unless legislation is enacted by judges able to work properly, it will never work as intended by Parliament. Without a working accountability system monitoring judges, there is insufficient pressure on judges to follow legislation anyway.
Comment by MurrayBacon — Tue 28th June 2016 @ 9:11 pm
Strange how other nations, can have genderless laws.
But somehow NZ, has gendered laws.
https://www.stuff.co.nz/opinion/132154814/lifting-the-anonymity-that-protects-men-who-rape
So this is from an expert, on the subject of rape.
It’s all about men, it is all the fault of men.
I bet not once in her books, does she talk about female rapists.
The proliferation and normalisation, of female sexual offending.
It’s only men who have to change, women are faultless.
All the solutions, are about men being responsible.
Raised by a solo mother, makes rape ten times more likely.
The boy cannot change, it’s the mother who did it.
Bet the expert, completely ignored that cause.
Half of stranger rapists, were sexually abused by the mother.
The boy cannot change, it’s the mother who did it.
Bet the expert, completely ignored that cause.
Forcing a partner to have sex, is not gendered it is equal.
The men get labeled rapists, the women with no label at all.
Men are subject to the law, but the law ignores all women’s offending.
There are guilty men, like these offenders.
They deserve justice, and when convicted being named.
But 100% of female offenders, never get any justice of any kind.
The law, needs to be mocked ruthlessly.
The man can be charged, but the woman cannot be charged.
They can do identical things, only the male is an offender.
Female specific sex crimes, will not be in her book.
Asking men to change, when women are not asked to change.
The causes and then half of rapes ignored, with male bashing nonsense.
Comment by DJ Ward — Sat 27th May 2023 @ 2:02 pm