Over 40 NGOs urge Lithuanian parliament to back sexual violence reform

More than 40 non-governmental organisations have called on Lithuania’s political leaders and lawmakers to support proposed amendments to sexual violence legislation, set for debate in the Seimas on Thursday, LRT reports.

The NGOs argue that the reforms would clarify the ban on online grooming of children, equalise penalties for sexual violence against women and men, introduce punishments for sexual harassment, and define sexual violence based on the principle of voluntary consent.

Current laws, they say, fail to reflect modern understanding of sexual violence and its consequences, necessitating legal changes. “The state cannot stand by in the face of violence at night, but must do everything to restore justice by morning,” said Rugilė Butkevičiūtė, head of the NGO Ribologija. She described the reform as an opportunity to build a trauma-informed justice system, noting that existing laws “do not reflect what science knows about human responses to violence.”

The appeal, backed by a network of over 150 organisations nationwide, urges politicians to consider arguments from groups working in human rights, youth welfare, women’s rights, poverty, disability, and other sectors. “The Seimas can repay its debt to all victims, strengthen trust in the system, and combat impunity for sexual violence through legal means,” said Jūratė Juškaitė, director of the Lithuanian Human Rights Centre.

The letter was sent to leaders of the main parliamentary parties, including Mindaugas Sinkevičius, Laurynas Kasčiūnas, Remigijus Žemaitaitis, Virginijus Sinkevičius, Viktorija Čmilytė-Nielsen, Aurelijus Veryga, and Waldemar Tomaszewski.