Canada Moves to Strengthen Sexual Assault Law
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While headlines were being made by the William Kennedy Smith and Mike Tyson rape trials in the United States, a case involving many of the same complex and controversial issues was unfolding in the quiet town of Kingston in eastern Ontario. Last December, as in the case of Mr. Smith, the Kingston trial ended in acquittal, angering some women’s groups. They saw the outcome as further supporting their argument that Canadian rape laws do not adequately protect the rights of women. The previous August, Canada’s Supreme Court voided some protections for accusers under the nation’s rape-shield law. The feeling over the issue has fueled an intense national debate about Canada’s laws regarding sexual assault. It has also prompted Kim Campbell, the Minister of Justice who is the first woman to hold the post, to propose changes to the criminal code. They include an unusually restrictive definition of consensual sex. Such a definition is intended to make it easier to win convictions in rape cases. In the Kingston case, Robert VanOostrom, a 23-year-old graduate student in chemical engineering at Queen’s University, was charged with sexually assaulting three female undergraduates. The women acknowledged having befriended Mr. VanOostrom, but they asserted that he had forced himself on them. Furor Over the Verdict More : query.nytimes.com |