The Crime of Rape in the Current Criminal Code

The criminalization of rape under the new Romanian Criminal Code has been influenced by the growing social phenomenon of increased sexual abuse against women and children reported in recent years. Following several years of legislative hesitation, the Romanian Parliament ultimately adopted a dual approach to the criminalization of rape: one provision addressing adult victims and another concerning minor victims. Although far from perfect, the new legal provisions largely respond to prevailing social needs, with future judicial practice likely to necessitate further adaptations of the legal texts.