Belgium, Greece and the Netherlands criticised for inadequate rape laws

With hundreds of millions of women and girls affected by this violence, we need a wholesale change in how laws are created,' says Equality Now spokesperson 

Belgium, Greece and the Netherlands are among a number of countries with legal systems that fail to adequately tackle rape, a new report has said.

The study, by the Equality Now charity, concluded that a “global rape epidemic” is “still ignored in the law by most governments”.

Many countries have laws that allow rapists to escape punishment in certain circumstances. 

In Belgium, a rapist who admits their guilt can be exempted from punishment by reaching a “settlement” with their victim.

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In 10 of the 82 jurisdictions examined by the report, including China, India and Indonesia, the rape of a women or girl by her husband is completely legal – even when the victim is a child. 

Perpetrators escape prosecution if they marry their victim, in nine of the countries. 

In four more – Russia, Greece, Serbia and Thailand – a similar outcome is possible but only if the couple are already in a relationship and if the victim is under the age of consent. 

Belgium, Luxembourg and the Netherlands are among a number of countries that treat rape as an issue of morality, rather than one of violence.