Sexual activity outside marriage is illegal in Afghanistan. The minimum age of marriage is 12 for men and 13 for women. [1] If you are under 18, you cannot marry in the Philippines, even if your parents agree to the marriage. You must be at least 18 years old to legally marry a Filipino. Under the new law, children, boys or girls, who engage in sexual intercourse or lustful behaviour out of money, profit or other consideration, or because of the coercion or influence of an adult, trade union or group are considered “children exploited in prostitution and other sexual abuse”. In addition, a 2015 study found that 21.5 percent of the 3,866 Filipino children (ages 13-24) reported experiencing sexual abuse as children. More men reported having had such an experience than women. Significantly, in several cases, perpetrators were reported as persons at home, such as father, brother or mother-in-law. The age of sexual consent is the same as in Jordanian article 306 of the Penal Code. Consensual sex is legal at age 16. [94] Although the age of consent is 15, the offender can only be charged and prosecuted if a complaint is filed with law enforcement authorities. An exception to this law is if the age of the victim is less than 12 years old or in certain circumstances such as assault or incest. Change is long overdue.
We call on the Philippine government to prioritize the immediate passage of a law that raises the legal age of sexual consent from under 12 to under 16. #EndChildRape now. Sex outside marriage is illegal in Iran. [66] The minimum age of marriage in Iran is 15 for men and 13 for women. [67] [68] Ways of circumventing these rules include temporary marriages (nikah mut`ah). [69] With the court`s permission, girls are allowed to marry at a younger age. In 2010, up to 42,000 children aged 10 to 14 were married,[70] and 716 girls under the age of 10 had married. [71] In 2020, the UAE decriminalized sex outside marriage. However, consensual sexual relations are punishable by law if the victim, male or female, is under 14 years of age, or if the victim is deprived of his or her will because of his or her young age, mental illness or mental disability, or if the perpetrator is a first-degree relative of the victim or is responsible for the victim`s upbringing or ordinary care or has the authority of the victim. Minor victim. Any sexual activity outside of marriage is illegal in Yemen. Until recently, Yemeni law set the age of consent at 15.
However, this law has been abolished. Now, “Yemeni law allows girls of any age to marry, but it prohibits sexual relations with them until they are fit to have sex indefinitely.” [122] In 1999, the minimum age of fifteen marriages for women, which was rarely applied, was abolished; The onset of puberty, interpreted by the ulema as the age of nine, was set as a prerequisite for consummation of marriage. [123] Children`s rights activists have been pushing for decades to raise the age of consent, but stubborn social norms in this deeply religious country, where abortion and divorce are illegal, have thwarted their efforts. “Anyone who, with her consent, has sexual intercourse with a third-generation woman under the age of 15 and the offence results in her death, pregnancy or loss of virginity [shall be punished by imprisonment].” [72] Rape is punishable by imprisonment. Since 1986, the penalty has been either life imprisonment or the death penalty for victims under the age of 16. Single women under the age of 14 are presumed to have given their consent. [29] According to Article 349 of the updated Penal Code, the death penalty for the rapist is only allowed if the rape results in the death of the sexually assaulted woman. [27] The Family Code of the Republic of the Philippines states: “No license is required for the marriage of a man and a woman who have lived together as husband and wife for at least five years without legal impediment to marriage.
The Contracting Parties shall state the above facts in an affidavit before any person legally entitled to take an oath. The ceremonial officer also declares under oath that he has ensured that there are no legal obstacles to the marriage as to the capacity of the contracting parties. The previous position on same-sex couples is set out in section 118C, which provides that a man who commits or suffers fraud with a man under the age of 21 shall be sentenced to life imprisonment if convicted of charges. [54] However, this section was deleted as unconstitutional in Leung TC William Roy v. Minister of Justice. [55] Thus, the age of consent between two men was effectively aligned with that between a man and a woman, i.e. 16. In Hong Kong, the age of consent to sexual activity is 16, regardless of gender or sexual orientation. [49] However, the age of consent for a woman who engages in intercourse is 21. [50] If you are under 21, you will need written permission from your parent or guardian. It is best if your parents can be with you at the local registrar to do the paperwork. If this is not possible, an affidavit signed by two witnesses may be accepted. Prior to 2012, there was a presumption that a male under the age of 14 could not consent to sexual intercourse under any circumstances.
The law was changed after a 13-year-old boy attacked a 5-year-old girl in a ward of Chai Wan Hospital. The prosecution was unable to convict him of rape, but only of immoral assault. In 2015, an 11-year-old boy and a 13-year-old boy were arrested after they were found having sex with an 11-year-old girl. Under the new laws, they have the option of being sentenced to the maximum sentence of life imprisonment. [56] This is consistent with the “Romeo and Juliet laws” applied in several countries to avoid criminalizing consensual sex between adolescents. For example, in the state of Ohio in the United States, despite the age of consent of 16, consensual sexual relations between people 13 years of age and older with a partner under 18 years of age are considered legal. Even in France, where the age of consent is 15, consensual sexual relations between a minor and a partner for up to five years longer are allowed. In April 2008, the case of Nujood Ali, a 10-year-old girl who managed to obtain a divorce, made headlines around the world and prompted calls to raise the legal age of marriage to 18. [124] Later in 2008, the Supreme Council for Motherhood and Childhood proposed setting the minimum age of marriage at 18.
The law was passed in April 2009, but abandoned the next day after attempts by opposing parliamentarians. Negotiations for the adoption of the law are ongoing. [125] In mainland China, the age of consent to sexual activity is 14, regardless of gender or sexual orientation. [42] Chinese law defines legal rape as sexual relations with a girl under the age of fourteen. A five-year prison sentence and a fine can be the result if the girl under 14 acts as a prostitute. [43] In August 2015, the Underage Prostitutes Act was repealed. The Rape Act now also applies to prostitution of minors. [44] Persons with special duties towards underage women who have reached the age of 14 are held responsible for rape if they force the victim to have sexual relations with them by taking advantage of their dominant position or the victim`s position of powerlessness. [45] While raising the age of consent brings many cases of sexual abuse into the realm of crime, a UNICEF guidance note also argues that 12 is “too low” for consent because the child “has barely reached puberty.” “The part of a child`s brain that processes their understanding of the consequences of their decisions has not evolved at age 12 and continues to evolve at age 18. Therefore, setting the age of sexual consent at 12 contradicts scientific findings on brain development, as well as physical and emotional maturity,” the document reads.
Article 103 regulates any type of sexual activity with minors under the age of 15 (or minors under the age of 18 who are unable to understand the legal significance and consequences of such acts) such as the sexual abuse of children. [24] The Japanese Penal Code (1907) sets the national age of consent at 13. [73] Article 176 (“Violent Indecency”) provides for a prison sentence of 6 months to 10 years for “immoral acts” against men and women under the age of 13, and Article 177 (“Rape”) provides for a minimum penalty of 3 years for sexual intercourse with women under the age of 13. [74] In 2017, section 177[75] was amended to clarify vaginal and oral sex and extended to all persons (men and women) under the age of 13. With this amendment, the minimum prison sentence was also increased from 3 years to 5 years. [76] The law also requires the non-consent of male victims under the age of 14. There is a prison sentence (maximum 10 years) for male victims under the age of 16 (Article 346), while Article 347 provides for an unspecified term of imprisonment for consenting male victims under 21 years of age. Sexual relations with minors under the age of 14 are punished more severely (1 to 8 years` imprisonment) than with minors between the ages of 14 and 16 (up to 4 years` imprisonment if the offender has abused the minor`s inexperience).
Anal sex, regardless of the sex or orientation of the participants (man-man, woman-woman, man-woman), is punishable by an aggravated penalty (3 to 10 years` imprisonment if it is performed with a minor under 14 years of age and up to 4 years if it is performed with an older minor). [84] “We welcome this legal development and hope it will help protect young girls from rape and sexual abuse,” said Josalee Deinla, spokesperson for the National Union of People`s Advocates, which provides legal aid to poor and marginalized people in the Philippines.