French deputies voted on Tuesday to expand the legal definition of incest to include relationships between first cousins. This change aims to recognize the unique harm caused by such relationships and to better protect victims. According to figures cited by socialist deputy Florence Herouin-Leautey, first cousins are identified as perpetrators of violence in 13% of cases among female victims and 16% among male victims. The proposed law reflects growing awareness of the specific trauma experienced by victims of incest involving close relatives. Gabriel Tomatis, a deputy from the RN party, supported the creation of this new offense, emphasizing that victims have a "strong expectation" for legal recognition of their suffering. He argued that the law must acknowledge the "reality of their pain." Meanwhile, the far-right group proposed a stricter penalty, suggesting that incestuous rape should be punishable by life imprisonment. However, this amendment was not adopted by the deputies. Sandrine Rousseau, an ecologist deputy, opposed the idea of imposing life sentences for incestuous rape. She warned that such severe punishments could have the opposite effect, discouraging victims from coming forward. "It already takes great courage to speak within the family," she said, highlighting that the prospect of a close relative being sentenced to life imprisonment could add an additional burden on those who testify. The deputies unanimously approved the creation of a specific offense related to incest in the Penal Code. This article was adopted as part of the ongoing examination of a "comprehensive" law against sexist and sexual violence against women and children. The law, which has been under discussion since Thursday in the chamber, includes the inclusion of the term "incest" in an autonomous paragraph of the Penal Code, with specific provisions and penalties. Until now, incest had been considered mainly as an aggravating factor in rape cases, since a 2021 reform. Florence Herouin-Leautey noted that seven million French people may have experienced incest in their lifetime, underscoring the urgency of the proposed legal changes.