The States Assembly approved the changes in principle in March and Home Affairs Minister Len Norman has now brought the proposals back for final approval.
Under the changes, more offences are to be classed as rape and maximum sentences for sexual offences will be increased. The law also for the first time sets out a clear definition of consent.
At present, rape is defined as penile penetration of the vagina. The proposed changes to the law, lodged by then-Home Affairs Minister Kristina Moore, make penetration of any kind without consent an act of rape and also, for the first time, mean men can be classed as victims of rape.
Since the law was approved, a series of training programmes have been carried out to make sure police officers, lawyers and teachers, among others, know about the changes.
As well as setting the date for when the new sexual offences law comes into force, the Assembly will also be asked to approve a series of amendments to other laws as a result of the overhaul of the sexual offences law. This has mainly been done to ensure references to the previous sexual offences law are updated in other legislation.
In the proposition, Mr Norman said: ‘This draft act would bring all of the Sexual Offences (Jersey) Law 2018 into force on Friday 23 November 2018. This date has been chosen to allow sufficient time to complete the necessary training and public engagement activities, which have been ongoing since the law was adopted by the States on Wednesday 21 March 2018.’
The proposition setting the date the law comes into force is due to be debated on Tuesday 6 November.
