The age of consent in Europe, Asia or another continent varies by country and territory. The age of consent is between 12 and 21 years, with most countries between 14 and 16 years. Nearly a dozen countries, including Iran, Qatar, Yemen and Afghanistan, completely ban premarital sex but have no age restrictions on marital sex. Several other countries have an age of consent above 16, including Cyprus (17), Ireland (17), Turkey (18), Iraq (18), Vietnam (18) and Bahrain (21). In addition, some countries provide for age-related exceptions, others do not. The Civil Code also addresses the age of consent at the prefectural level (and sometimes at the level of communes within a prefecture). In Japan, a person must reach the age of 20 to be considered an adult, and parental consent plays an important role in legal issues affecting young people. 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.
According to Japan`s Penal Code, the legal age of consent in Japan is 13 and any sexual activity with anyone under the age of 13 is illegal. However, according to other local laws in the country, the de facto age of consent is 16. Burkina Faso, Comoros, Niger and the Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic also have an age of consent of 13. In 32 other countries, including Albania, Bangladesh, Bolivia, Brazil, China, Eritrea, Italy, Germany, Hungary, Myanmar, Colombia and Portugal, the age limit is 14. The age of consent in the United Kingdom (England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland) is 16. In addition, all UK territories have their own local age of consent laws. At present, however, all of these areas also set the age of consent at 16. In the UK, there are no exceptions for people close to age. Two people under the age of consent can be prosecuted for sexual activity. Africa: In most parts of southern Africa, including Botswana, Namibia and South Africa, people can consent to sex from the age of 16.
In Libya and Sudan, the age of consent is not fixed, but marriage is required by law before sexual relations are allowed. In summary, here is the age of consent of European countries, including microstates, that are not represented on the map: The legal age of consent varies from country to country in the world between 11 and 21 years old. In some countries, there is no legal age for consent, but all sexual relations are prohibited outside of marriage. Select any country for more information on local laws. The highest age of consent in the world in Bahrain is 21. The second highest age of consent in South Korea is 20, while most other countries have an age of consent between 16 and 18. 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. In North America, Aruba has the lowest age of consent at 15, while in South America, Paraguay, Peru, Brazil, Bolivia and Ecuador, all are 14. In the United States, the age of consent is 16 – Canada, New Zealand and the United Kingdom share this age. At 18, Chile, Argentina and a number of other countries have the highest age of consent in America. The age at which a person is considered legally capable of consenting to sexual activity varies widely around the world – and even in Europe. There are about 26 countries where the age of consent is 15, including Greenland, Iceland, Aruba, Croatia, North Korea and Poland. In 76 other countries around the world, the age of consent is 16. Some of these countries are the United States, the United Kingdom, Canada, Russia, Taiwan, South Africa, Nepal, Mongolia and Lesotho. The age of consent in the United States varies from state to state between 16 and 18 years. Sexual activity with a partner who is under the legal age in that jurisdiction is considered legal rape.
In some jurisdictions, sexual activity between underage participants may also be considered legal rape. Regarding the age of consent, this means that it is illegal to marry someone under the age of 20 without written parental permission. 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). In addition, some prefectures have specific laws that go beyond the above and apply only to that prefecture. For example, Tokyo has a child welfare law that prohibits an adult from engaging in sexual activity with anyone under the age of 17, but this only applies to Tokyo. While the various age of consent laws in Japan can be a bit confusing, they give Japan one of the highest average ages of consent. The de facto age of consent is generally considered to be 18 years or older. In countries not mentioned, the legal age of consent is 17. Click here for a map of the age of consent by state. In addition, several countries in the Middle East and Africa do not have a legal age of consent, but prohibit all sexual relations outside of marriage.
This has raised concerns among many international organizations, particularly in some countries where girls are married at the age of 9 or 10. Countries where the age of consent is based on marriage are Afghanistan, Iran, Kuwait, Libya, Maldives, Oman, Pakistan, Qatar, Sudan, Saudi Arabia, Yemen and the United Arab Emirates. Finally, note that the age of consent laws, which aim to combat the sexual exploitation of minors, are not the same as the minimum age of marriage, which aim to prevent child marriage. Now let`s take a closer look at the age of consent in some countries.