Spain to finally toughen rape laws after notorious ‘wolfpack’ gang-rape case sparked furious protests

ALL non-consensual sex will be treated as rape under new "Only yes means yes" laws approved by the Spanish government following an outcry over the Wolf Pack case.

Under current laws, if women are too scared to fight back — or are physically incapable of it — during a sex attack it is not considered rape.

A new bill proposes to merge the crimes of sexual abuse and sexual assault into the same category of crimes qualified as rape.

Rape cases will be decided by the question of consent — strengthening laws in defence of women's rights.

The draft law, which faces months of debate in parliament, seeks to establish specialised courts for dealing with sexual offences and round-the-clock recovery centres for victims.

It would increase jail penalties for work-related sexual harassment to up to two years and make catcalling a criminal offence.

Combating gender violence has been high on Spain's political agenda since its women's rights movement was galvanised by the 2016 "Wolf Pack" trial, in which five men — referring to themselves by that name — were jailed for sexual abuse after gang-raping a young woman at the Pamplona bull-running festival.

They were cleared of more serious charges because there was no evidence violence was used.

Mass protests against that conviction, which attracted international attention in the wake of the global #MeToo movement, led to an appeal in 2019 in which the Supreme Court ruled the men had committed rape.

Equaliy Minister Irene Montero, told a news briefing: "Spain will be a safer country for women with the approval of this law.

"Women's rights and sexual freedoms will never again be stranded down a blind alley."

The Socialist-led coalition government announced the bill's approval in the run-up to Sunday's International Women's Day, and rallies in Spain this weekend to mark it.

Maria Solanas, director at the Elcano Royal Institute think-tank, said the proposed legislation would make Spain the first country to implement in a single bill all the recommendations of the 2014 Istanbul Convention on preventing and combating violence against women.

Aggravating factors such as physical violence or the use of drugs or alcohol to incapacitate the victim would carry heavier sentences.

Such cases would be heard by special judges in courts dedicated to sexual crimes, as is already done with crimes relating to gender violence.

The gender violence law was approved in 2004 by Spain's previous Socialist government, and the World Economic Forum ranks the country eighth globally in terms of gender parity.