'Rape - crimes against humanity' in document 'Australia - Criminal Code 1995 (amended 2014) Vol 2'

Jump to:

RELEVANT SECTIONS OF THE IMPLEMENTING LEGISLATION

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

268.14 Crime against humanity—rape

(1) A person (the perpetrator) commits an offence if:
(a) the perpetrator sexually penetrates another person without the consent of that person; and
(b) the perpetrator knows of, or is reckless as to, the lack of consent; 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) A person (the perpetrator) commits an offence if:
(a) the perpetrator causes another person to sexually penetrate the perpetrator without the consent of the other person; and
(b) the perpetrator knows of, or is reckless as to, the lack of consent; 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.

(3) In this section:
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.

(4) In this section:
sexually penetrate means:
(a) penetrate (to any extent) the genitalia or anus of a person by any part of the body of another person or by any object manipulated by that other person; or
(b) penetrate (to any extent) the mouth of a person by the penis of another person; or
(c) continue to sexually penetrate as defined in paragraph (a) or (b).

(5) In this section, being reckless as to a lack of consent to sexual penetration includes not giving any thought to whether or not the person is consenting to sexual penetration.

(6) In this section, the genitalia or other parts of the body of a person include surgically constructed genitalia or other parts of the body of the person.

RELEVANT ROME STATUTE PROVISIONS

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