Schedule 1—Amendment of the Criminal Code Act 1995

Chapter 8—Offences against humanity and related offences

Division 268—Genocide, crimes against humanity, war crimes and crimes against the administration of the justice of the International Criminal Court

Subdivision C—Crimes against humanity


268.19 Crime against humanity—sexual violence

(1) A person (the perpetrator) commits an offence if:

(a) the perpetrator does either of the following:
(i) commits an act or acts of a sexual nature against one or more persons;
(ii) causes one or more persons to engage in an act or acts of a sexual nature;
without the consent of the person or persons, including by being reckless as to whether there is consent; and
(b) the perpetrator’s conduct is of a gravity comparable to the offences referred to in sections 268.14 to 268.18; and
(c) the perpetrator’s conduct is committed intentionally or knowingly as part of a widespread or systematic attack directed against a civilian population.
Penalty: Imprisonment for 25 years.

(2) Strict liability applies to paragraph (1)(b).

(3) In subsection (1):
consent means free and voluntary agreement.
The following are examples of circumstances in which a person does not consent to an act:

(a) the person submits to the act because of force or the fear of force to the person or to someone else;
(b) the person submits to the act because the person is unlawfully detained;
(c) the person is asleep or unconscious, or is so affected by alcohol or another drug as to be incapable of consenting;
(d) the person is incapable of understanding the essential nature of the act;
(e) the person is mistaken about the essential nature of the act (for example, the person mistakenly believes that the act is for medical or hygienic purposes);
(f) the person submits to the act because of psychological oppression or abuse of power;
(g) the person submits to the act because of the perpetrator taking advantage of a coercive environment.
threat of force or coercion includes:

(a) a threat of force or coercion such as that caused by fear of violence, duress, detention, psychological oppression or abuse of power; or
(b) taking advantage of a coercive environment.

(4) In subsection (1), being reckless as to whether there is consent to one or more acts of a sexual nature includes not giving any thought to whether or not the person is consenting to the act or acts of a sexual nature.

Article 7
Crimes against humanity
1. For the purpose of this Statute, "crime against humanity" means any of the following acts when committed as part of a widespread or systematic attack directed against any civilian population, with knowledge of the attack:
(g) Rape, sexual slavery, enforced prostitution, forced pregnancy, enforced sterilization, or any other form of sexual violence of comparable gravity