EDINBURGH, Scotland, Dec. 4 (UPI) -- Scotland is revamping its laws on rape, widening the definition of rape in an effort to put more attackers behind bars.
The Scotsman reported that the shakeup is also meant to persuade victims to report crimes, given the greater chance of conviction.
Advocates for the move are campaigning for a new definition for consent, which has reportedly been used as a loophole in the past, with attackers saying victims did not explicitly object. Supporters of the changes suggest that the system classify an incident as rape when there is no "tangible act of agreement" on the victim's part.
The law is also expected to deal with male-on-male rape. Until now, rape in Scotland has only been defined as a man attacking a woman.
The shakeup comes after the release of statistics showing that a low number of rape victims report the crimes.
