Why does age of consent vary

On mainland China the minimum age is 14, rising to 16 in Hong Kong. In all Australian territories, the age of consent is 16, except for in South Australia and Tasmania, where it is In India it is 18, while some strict Muslim countries such as Malaysia outlaw homosexual sex at any age. Middle East: Like parts of North Africa, most Middle Eastern countries do not have a set age of consent but require that the couple are married.

In many countries where sex outside of marriage is illegal, the minimum age of marriage is lower for women than for men. It is common for courts to grant permission for girls to marry below the legal age. In Iran in , for example, The Telegraph reported that as many as 42, children aged between ten and 14 were married, and girls younger than ten had wed.

In Jordan, year-olds can consent to sex, while in Iraq they must be By contrast, Bahrain has the highest age of consent in the world, at South America: In Brazil, Colombia and Ecuador, the age of consent is 14, regardless of gender or sexual orientation.

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Nelson alleges that Roy Moore sexually assaulted her when she was a minor. The difficulty of setting a bright line for consent To be sure, levels of maturity vary by individual; setting one age as the advent of maturity is always going to be a gross proxy.

Teenagers are often allowed to change their minds about purchases We can turn to contract law for some better ideas about handling consent. The laws should carefully target adult predators Age-of-consent law is complex, and full of pitfalls. Delivered Fridays. Thanks for signing up! Check your inbox for a welcome email. Email required. By signing up, you agree to our Privacy Notice and European users agree to the data transfer policy.

For more newsletters, check out our newsletters page. Or, if the defendant is eighteen or older, the age of consent is The state's statutory rape law defines the age of consent as 16, and it conflicts with another law; Pennsylvania's corruption of minors statute indicates that the age of consent is This has produced some confusion since the laws allow teens 16 and 17 to consent to each other, but not 18 or older.

Teens between 13 and 15 may or may not be able to consent to a partner less than four years older. It is uncertain because while a defendant might not be affected by the statutory rape laws, they could be prosecuted under other offenses. Ohio statutory rape law is violated when a person has consensual sexual intercourse with an individual they are not married to under the age of A close-in-age exemption exists, allowing minors aged 13 and older to consent to a partner under Hover over Click on a tile for details.

Age of Consent Range in the United States The states' laws differ, and the minimum age of consent in the United States is 16, and the maximum is 18 years old. Consenting Age Difference In some states, there is a close-in-age exemption. This age-dependent exemption is also known as the "Romeo and Juliet law" and is designed to prevent the prosecution of underage couples who engage in consensual sex when: Both participants are close-in-age, and One or both are below the age of consent.

For example, in North Carolina , it is a crime regardless of age to sexually engage with a student if the defendant is a: School teacher, Student-teacher, School administrator, School safety officer, Coach, or Other school employees at the child's school. If the two partners are married, then the age of consent does not apply. California has seven statutory sexual abuse charges on the books.

Texas Age of Consent: 17 Close-in-age Exemption: No Another populous state, the Texas statutory rape law is violated when a person has consensual sexual intercourse with an individual under Texas has five statutory sexual abuse charges on the books.

Florida has four statutory sexual abuse charges on the books. Alabama Age of Consent: 16 Close-in-age Exemption: Yes While the age of consent is 16, Alabama's statutory rape law is violated when an individual over the age of 18 engages in sexual intercourse with a person over the age of 12 and under age The law recognizes that children are developmentally not able to make decisions about some things, including when to engage in sexual behaviors.

Laws vary by state, but a common age of consent is