ATHENS – Rape in Greece should be defined as an absence of consent for sex and not only as an act of force or coercion, the country’s chapter of Amnesty International, a human rights group said, urging a change in the country’s penal code.

“Among multiple obstacles, women have to face harmful laws that fail to recognize a simple truth: Sex without consent is rape. Greece is no exception,” the organization said, Kathimerini reported, the group wanting women to have the right to say no to sex.

Article 336 defines rape as intercourse to which one is coerced through the use of physical violence or the threat of grave and serious danger but does not include cases where it’s not forced but where the victim hasn’t given consent, with no examples given.

According to data cited by Amnesty, one out of 20 women (nearly 9 million women) in the European Union aged over 15 has been raped, while one out of 10 has experienced some kind of sexual violence.

In many cases, the organization claimed, offenders are not brought to justice, as many women are afraid or ashamed to ask for help, while others do not press charges for fear they will be stigmatized or publicly humiliated.

The definition of rape based on consent is already applied in eight European countries. Amnesty is collecting signatures for a petition it intends to submit to Justice Minister Michalis Kalogirou.