Since 1 December 2010, the age of consent in Scotland has been 16, regardless of sexual orientation or gender. [151] [152] Prior to that date, there were 16 for girls (for a legal offence)[153] and 14 for boys (the age of common-law puberty). However, consensual sexual relations with a girl between the ages of 13 and 16 are not rape, but a lesser offence; On December 1, 2010, it was given the specific name “sexual intercourse with an older child.” However, the age between 13 and 16 does not include 16-year-olds. There is an exception related to age: El consentimiento libre del menor de dieciséis años excluirá la responsabilidad penal por los delitos previstos en este Capítulo, cuando el autor sea una persona próxima al menor por edad y grado de desarrollo o madurez In the 1990s, the Netherlands gained international attention with its age of consent policy. Between 1990 and 2002,[89] a de facto age of consent of 12 was introduced in the Netherlands, subject to restrictions. The relevant law, passed in November 1990, allowed sexual intercourse for young people between the ages of 12 and 16 in most cases, but allowed parents or the child protection authority to challenge the challenge if there was evidence of exploitation. [90] Although the age of consent was often set at 12 internationally, this was partly misleading, as sexual acts remained punishable until the age of 16. The Netherlands has gained an international reputation for being extremely liberal on sexual issues, some of which are due to exaggerated reporting in foreign media and claims by foreign politicians, rather than based on reality. For example, in the 1980s, some conservative activists in the United States claimed that children were being sold as sex slaves at “auctions” in Amsterdam, but presented no evidence to support their claims. [91] Only three countries fall into this category. The first is Niue, an ocean country where sexual activity can only be legal if the partners are 19 or older. The second is South Korea, where the age of consent is 20, and finally, there is Bahrain, where sexual relations are prohibited for people under 21.
Bahrain has the highest legal age of consent in the world. Any sexual intercourse outside of marriage is illegal and, therefore, the only legal consent that can be given for sexual relations is consent between a husband and a wife. Canon 1083 of the 1983 Code of Canon Law states: “A man before reaching the age of sixteen and a woman before she has reached the age of fourteen may not contract a valid marriage.” [169] Obscene laws on minors, which take precedence over the penal code, contain age of consent laws for some prefectures. In some, sexual activity with people under the age of 15 is illegal, but in others, the age is 18. In these prefectures, sexual activity with a person under the age of consent can carry a prison sentence of up to five years. Although rare, in some prefectures, even hugging or holding hands with minors can be illegal. In the late 1990s and early 21st century, major changes were made to the penal code to change provisions considered obsolete, especially as Romania prepared to join the EU. For example, homosexuality had been decriminalized, the text of several crimes had been amended to make it gender-neutral, the age of consent had been raised to 15 (applies to both girls and boys), penalties for several sexual crimes had been increased, and the provision that a rapist could escape punishment after rape if he married his victim had been abolished. Amendments were made by Act No. 140/1996, Act No. 197/2000, Emergency Decree No.
89/2001 and Emergency Decree No. 143/2002. Nevertheless, the rapid adoption of many laws has resulted in poorly formulated and contradictory texts that have led to difficulties in jurisprudence and doctrine, and several cases have found themselves before the Supreme Court of Cassation and Justice to clarify the interpretation of the law. [ref. needed] Finally, the 1. In February 2014, a new penal code entered into force, setting the age of consent at 15. Most countries prohibit sex with people under the age of 16 or under 18, but in some places the age of consent is as low as 11 or as high as 20. But even within counties, it can vary greatly between men and women, and in cases of heterosexual and homosexual sex. In the wording of the law, there is no discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation. However, discrimination may result from selective application on a case-by-case basis. “This may therefore lead to a higher incidence of cases where the minor and the offender are of the same sex, as there may be parents who would not prosecute if their 17-year-old child has sexual relations with another person of the opposite sex, but would do so if the person is of the same sex.” [74] In the United Kingdom, the age of consent is 16, regardless of gender or sexual orientation.