Oldest Legal Age of Consent in the World

Some countries do not have a fixed age of consent, but only allow sex within marriage In almost all Australian territories, including the Australian Capital Territory, New South Wales, Northern Territory, Queensland, Victoria and Western Australia, the age of consent in Australia is 16. However, two Australian territories, Tasmania and South Australia, have raised the age of consent to 17. As in many countries, the age of consent increases to 18 if the oldest participant is in a position of care or authority (teacher, guardian, clergy, etc.) over the minor participant. Many jurisdictions have age-related exceptions that also vary by region. The Prevention and Suppression of Prostitution Act 1996 regulates gratuitous sexual activity with partners under the age of 18 and is often interpreted by local authorities to include sexual situations involving ordinary people rather than prostitutes. In addition, the Criminal Code (Amendment) Act 1997 made it illegal to commit an “indecent act” with a person under the age of 18, even if that person is a consenting participant. It`s also a “compound” crime, meaning charges can be laid months later if a partner (or parent) has regrets. As a result of these regulations, Thailand has a legal age of consent of 15, but an effective age of consent of 18. Thailand does not have an age-related exemption. The age of consent in the Philippines is controversial.

Many argue that a person this age does not have the emotional or physical maturity to make an informed decision about sex. In addition, persons under the age of 18 may not have access to protective measures such as contraception or HIV/AIDS testing without parental consent. The Philippine government is in the process of raising the age of consent to 16, which will likely take effect in 2022. Asia and Oceania: Last year, South Korea raised the age of consent from 13 to 16 “to strengthen the protection of minors after the existing sex crimes law was too weak,” RTE reported. The Philippines was also urged to raise the age of consent to 12, with a bill currently before Parliament to raise it to 16. In Japan, the age of consent is low at 13, although some communities, such as Tokyo, prohibit sexual activity before the age of 18 in most cases. In mainland China, the minimum age is 14, in Hong Kong, it increases to 16. In all Australian territories, the age of consent is 16, except in South Australia and Tasmania, where it is 17. In India, there are 18, while some strict Muslim countries like Malaysia prohibit same-sex relationships at any age. The age of consent at 14 (16 for “impeccable” girls whose parents have filed complaints) was set in 1872 by the penal code of the German Reich. When Germany split into West Germany and the German Democratic Republic after World War II, each territory established slightly different consent codes. After the reunification of Germany, the age of consent remained at 14 and Code § 182 was updated with the current guidelines.

The “age of consent” is the minimum age at which a person is considered legally capable of consenting to sexual acts. A person younger than the age of consent (i.e. minor) cannot legally confirm that a sexual act in which they participated was consensual. In other words, in the eyes of the law, they are not yet old enough to consent to sex. If a person over the age of consent engages in sexual activity with a minor partner, that activity may be considered legal rape. In fact, in some jurisdictions, a sexual act may be considered legal rape, even if all participants were minors. The age of consent in Russia is 16. However, as in many countries, the age of consent in Russia has changed several times. The Criminal Code of the Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic (RSFSR) stipulates that consent takes place at the time when “sexual maturity” has been reached. It was set at 16 years in 1996 when the Russian Criminal Code was introduced, lowered to 14 years in 1998 and postponed to 16 years in 2003. In Russia, there is no law on age limits. However, articles 134 and 135 of the Criminal Code, which set out the conditions for legal rape, stipulate that the perpetrator must be at least 18 years of age to be legally responsible, creating roughly the same protection as an age clause.

The age at which a person is considered legally capable of consenting to sexual activity varies widely around the world – and even in Europe. What is the age of consent? The age of consent is the minimum age at which a person is considered legally capable of consenting to sexual acts. If an elder engages in sexual acts with a minor under the age of consent, this activity may be considered legal rape. Indeed, the person younger than the age of consent cannot legally say that this act was consensual. Thirty-one states have set the age of consent at 16, eight at 17 and eleven at 18. Twenty-six states have “Romeo and Juliet” laws, or age limit laws, that legalize sexual activity between underage participants if they are close enough to each other in age. The maximum age differences in these laws vary from state to state. For example, in Colorado, the age of consent is 17, but people under 15 can consent to a partner under four years older, and those under 15 or 16 can consent to a partner up to 10 years older. By comparison, Arizona law sets the age of consent at 18, allowing teens between the ages of 15 and 17 to consent to sex with partners under 24 months of age.

The Civil Code, on the other hand, approaches the age of consent at the prefectural level (and sometimes municipalities within a prefecture). In Japan, not everyone under the age of 20 is considered an adult, so parental consent plays an important role in legal issues affecting young people under the age of 20 (for example, no one under the age of 20 can sign a legal contract without parental consent). Regarding the age of consent, this means that in some prefectures, it is illegal to date a person under the age of 20 without the written consent of their parents. This is true regardless of the age of the partner, as Japan does not have a “near age” exception to the age of consent (i.e. even if one person is 20 and the other 19). The age of consent is the legally established age at which a person is considered legally capable of consenting to sexual acts. Anyone who violates this law can be prosecuted under the rape laws. In addition, a number of countries in Asia and Africa require individuals to be married before they can legally have sex. These include Libya, Afghanistan and Saudi Arabia, all of which are known to be very conservative on issues related to gender and sexuality. Perhaps surprisingly, the country with the highest age of consent is Portugal in Western Europe at 21 (the age of consent in Bahrain is also 21). And while most European countries have 16-17 as the age of consent, several other European countries, including Malta and Vatican City, also have above-average consent laws requiring young people to be at least 18 years old before legally having sex.

Austria has the lowest age of consent in Europe at 14. Under the Criminal Law Amendment Act 2013, the age of consent in India is 18. People under the age of 17 cannot legally consent to sexual activity, which could lead to prosecution for rape. In 1892, the age of consent was 10, but it gradually increased over time to 18. The age of consent should be lowered to 16, as many police-reported cases of sexual assault involve people between the ages of 16 and 18 who engage in consensual sex but are reported by disapproving parents. As stipulated in Section 279 of the Thai Penal Code, the age of consent in Thailand is 15 years, regardless of gender or sexual orientation.