Time To Raise The Age Of Consent Worldwide

     

     In most places around the United States, the age of consent for sexual contact is 16 (as long the the two participants are within a certain number of years apart) and the age of consent for sexual intercourse is 18. Not everywhere around the globe is so logical:

1. In Mexico, the state have ages of consent ranging from 12-15, and, in Nayarit, it is at puberty, an open law that leaves ample room for rape.

2. In countries like Chile, Brazil, Bolivia, Colombia, Peru, Paraguay, and Ecuador, it is 14. In some places, the age is higher for homosexual activity, which is a result of homophobia, not any genuine desire raise the age of consent.

3. Africa is a mess. The age is 12 in Angola and 13 in Niger. In some countries, homosexual activity by anyone of any age is punishable by prison or legal or extralegal death. In the Maldives and Libya, people must be married. In some places, the age is different by gender, and laws often go unenforced.

4. In Indonesia and the Philippines, it is 12, and, in Bangladesh, it is 14. In many Middle Eastern nations, marriage is required.

5. In all but Cyprus, Ireland, and Turkey, the age of consent in Europe ranges from 14 to 16, almost always straying to the 14-side.

     The 21st century has seen a reform movement emerge and dozens of countries raise the age of consent to where it should be: 16 for contact with an age range limit for the other participant, and 18 for all sexual intercourse, regardless of gender or sexual orientation.