In addition, it is illegal for an adult to engage in sexual acts with a minor under the age of 18 if the adult abuses the authority or influence he or she has over the minor to obtain sexual access. However, article 151, paragraph 2, contains a provision for persons over 14 years of age who “do not understand the characteristics or meaning of the document”: article 155 provides that sexual intercourse with a person under 16 years of age committed by a person over 18 years of age is punishable. In addition, according to Article 152 (since January 2019), sexual intercourse with a person under the age of 14 (regardless of their voluntary consent) constitutes rape. The law no longer refers to the notion of “sexual maturity” that existed in the previous legal framework. [139] Until 1971, homosexual acts were prohibited. After decriminalization, the age of consent was set at 18 for homosexual acts and 16 for heterosexual acts. [28] In 1999, the age of consent for all sexual acts was harmonized at 16. [29] Male homosexual acts were decriminalized under section 1 of the Sexual Offences Act 1967, although the age of consent for such acts was set at 21, while the age of consent for heterosexual acts was 16. However, this special legislation applied only in England and Wales. Article 227-27 prohibits sexual relations with minors over 15 years of age (15, 16 or 17 years of age) “1° if they are committed by an ascendant or by another person having legal or de facto authority over the victim; (2) if they are committed by a person who abuses the authority conferred by his office. [34] The law in this area is complicated; Not all defences are accepted, as it depends on the particular circumstances of the case. If you are accused of having sex with someone under the age of 17, you should talk to an adult you trust and seek legal advice.
In early 2018, Parliament voted in favour of the “Gender and Domestic Violence Act 2018”, which came into force on 14 May 2018. The main objective of the law is to implement the Council of Europe Convention on preventing and combating violence against women and domestic violence, and it also includes amendments lowering the age of consent to 16. [72] In Ireland, the legal age for consent or voluntary consent to sexual intercourse is 17. Doctors know that the legal age for sexual consent is 17. However, if you are close to age (no more than 2 years apart), the other person is 15 or 16 years old and you do not feel pressured or intimidated, then this is something you should discuss with your doctor. The province of Vojvodina, a province in northern Serbia, had decriminalized homosexuality in 1978,[120] creating an equal age of consent for any sexual practice regardless of sex or sex. This lasted until Vojvodina lost its legislative power in 1990. The age of consent in Kazakhstan is 16 years in accordance with article 122 of the Criminal Code. The age of consent for all sexual acts in Croatia under the new Criminal Code, in force since 1 January 2013, is 15 years, regardless of sexual orientation or gender, and is regulated by Article 158. [13] Male homosexual acts were illegal until 1791, when the old sodomy laws were removed from the penal code of that year.
This remained the case under the Napoleonic Code of 1810. From 1977 to 1994, sexual acts between men of all ages were a criminal offence in Serbia, although the law was never enforced. Then, in 1994, the age of consent was only 18 for intercourse between men; Any man who performs sexual acts with another man is punished with up to 1 year in prison, 16 years for all other sexual behavior. Since 2006, an equal age of consent has entered into force, regardless of sexual orientation or gender – this is regulated by Article 110 of the Criminal Code of the Republic of Serbia, which stipulates that “obscene acts” between an adult male and a man under the age of 16 are punishable by imprisonment for 1 to 8 years. There is no specific reference to “lewd acts” between two women of the same crime. The age of consent in the Kingdom of Denmark is 15 years, as stated in § 222:[20] The age of consent is called the “legal age for sexual activity” and must be chosen by states at the age they deem appropriate. (No specific age is recommended.) In February 2021, the Convention was ratified by all Council of Europe states. [2] Historically, the age of consent in the Christian kingdoms of the Iberian Peninsula was generally twelve years. In 1995, a new penal code was introduced in Spain, setting the age of consent at 12 for all sexual acts, but it was raised to 13 in 1999 and 16 in 2015. [124] [126] The age of consent increases to 18 if a recognized position of trust, authority or influence over the minor is deceived or abused.
The age of consent in Moldova is 16 years, in accordance with Article 174 – “Sexual intercourse with a person under 16 years of age” and Article 175 – “Perverse acts”. [6] The age of consent in Russia is 16. The age of consent has changed several times in Russian history: the Criminal Code of the RSFSR (Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic) established “sexual maturity” as the age of consent; [107] [108] [109] When the Russian Criminal Code was adopted in 1996, the age of consent was declared the same regardless of sexual orientation and set at 16; [110] In 1998, it was reduced to 14 years; [111] and in 2003 it was reinstated at 16[112] (which is the current age of consent in Russia). The law of early 2012 significantly strengthened the consent laws in Articles 134 and 135. However, only one person over the age of 18 can be charged. Charges are relatively low (up to 4 years in prison) – regardless of gender – and “obscene acts” have even fewer charges. If the victim does not understand the nature and consequences of the act (due to his age of less than 12 years or mental capacity), he is considered rape and charged much more seriously (up to 15 years in prison or up to 20 years if the victim is under 14 years old). It is recommended that formal charges related to sexual activities of minors, even if they do not appear violent, be sought immediately. The age of sexual consent in the Czech Republic is 15 years. The age of consent in Lithuania is 16 years, as stipulated in Article 151.1 of the Lithuanian Criminal Code[68], introduced by the draft law of 2 July 2010. [68] It may be helpful to start with a definition of consent.
