Marital rape which were early to criminalize marital rape include the Soviet Union (1922), Poland (1932), Czechoslovakia (1950), some other members of the Communist Bloc, Sweden (1965), and Norway (1971). Slovenia, then a republic within federal Yugoslavia, criminalized marital rape in 1977. The Israeli Supreme Court affirmed that marital rape is a crime in a 1980 decision, citing law based on the Talmud (at least 6th century). Criminalization in Australia began with the state of New South Wales in 1981, followed by all other states from 1985 to 1992. Several formerly British-ruled countries followed suit: Canada (1983), New Zealand (1985), and Ireland
Marital rape immunity in Singapore enshrined in the Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman, or Degrading Treatment or Punishment (CAT), is said to encompass the right to be free from domestic violence and rape (including marital rape). Singapore has not ratified the CAT and thus is not legally bound to give effect to the Convention’s prohibition against torture in its domestic laws. It has been suggested that legal immunities to marital rape infringes the right to security of the person, which is protected by Article 3 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) as well as Article 9 of the International Covenant on