In South Korea, sexual activity with a person under the age of 16 (of international age, not “Korean age”) is considered legal rape unless the other party is under the age of 19. Sexual intercourse with a child under the age of 16 is considered legal rape in all circumstances. Prior to 2020, the age of consent in South Korea was 13, as set by Japan under colonial rule. [17] 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. 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] The age of consent in Uzbekistan is 16 for heterosexual men (oral sex for gay men) and lesbian and heterosexual women. [116] Only male homosexual intercourse is punishable by up to three years in prison (called Besoqolbozlik). [117] Section 377A (Violations of decency) of the Criminal Code states: “Any male who publicly or privately commits or encourages gross indecency against another male, or who facilitates or attempts to cause gross indecency to be committed against another male, shall be liable to imprisonment for a term of up to 2 years.” This means that any male sexual activity of the same sex (including mutual masturbation, oral or anal sex) is still illegal and the penalty can be up to two (2) years in prison, based on the Offences Against the Person Act 1861.
Any type of sexual activity outside of marriage is illegal in Saudi Arabia. In 2019, Saudi Arabia officially banned all marriages under the age of 18 for both men and women. [107] The push to ban child marriage was initially challenged by high-ranking clerics, who argued that a woman reaches adulthood during puberty. However, the Saudi Shura Council has banned marriages before the age of 15 and requires court approval for those under 18. [108] Under the Child Protection Act, the Act contains a provision stating: “Before entering into a marriage contract, it must be ensured that a person who marries before the age of 18 is not prejudiced either male or female.” [109] 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.
The age of consent in mainland China is 14. China`s two special administrative regions, Macau and Hong Kong, have their own local age of consent laws. As in China, the age of consent in Macau is 14. The age of consent in Hong Kong is 16. The Penal Code of Bangladesh provides that the age of consent is set at 14 years, but it is superseded by the above-mentioned Act. [31] 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] 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] Planned Parenthood, “Understanding consent is as easy as FRIES” However, when it comes to large age differences between minors and young adults, we shouldn`t normalize them just because “it`s legal.” Legality is not a basis for moral behavior and exposes minors to dangerous predators. As stipulated in Section 279 of the Thai Penal Code, the age of consent in Thailand is 15 years, regardless of gender or sexual orientation. However, the follow-up law added a number of additional caveats.
Here are some factors that can affect an individual`s ability to give consent. When you initiate sex with someone, you need to make sure they are able to give consent. A child who is in care for sexual intercourse often does not recognize this, especially if he or she is over the age of consent. 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. The age of consent in Mexico is 17. However, each of Mexico`s 20 territories also has its own age of consent laws, with minimum consent ranging from 14 in Tlaxcala to 18 in many regions. Mexico does not have an exemption for consent to the completion of old age. This means that two people under the age of 17 who voluntarily engage in sexual activity will both be prosecuted for rape. This also applies if one of the partners is 16 years old and the other is 17 years old.
According to the 1977 Israeli Penal Code, the age of consent in Israel is 16, regardless of gender or sexual orientation, for any form of sexual intercourse involving penetration (unless the person over 16 is the one being penetrated – in which case the age of consent is 14). In all cases where penetration is not involved, the age of consent is 14 years (for heterosexual and homosexual activities). A special case occurs when a person has had sexual intercourse with an elderly partner at the age of 14 or 15; In this case, the older partner would be exempted from criminal responsibility if three conditions are met: the age difference between the partners was less than three years, the younger partner gave consent, and the act is the result of “regular friendly relations” and without abuse of power. [ref. needed] Indiana University, “Stop Sexual Violence” If one reads section 11 of the Contracts Act 1950 and section 2 of the AMA of 1971, only persons over the age of eighteen (18) have the legal capacity to enter into contracts. The age of consent in Iraq is 18. “Anyone who sexually abuses a boy or girl under the age of 18 without violence, threats or deception shall be punished by imprisonment … The voting age and the legal age for standing as a National Councillor shall be twenty-one (21) years in accordance with Article 47(b) and Article 119(1) of the Federal Constitution. [The Constitution Amendment Act 2019 was passed on 10.09.2019, lowering the voting age and the legal age to stand for election to the House of Representatives to eighteen (18) years. However, the Constitution (Amendment) Act 2019 has not yet entered into force].
Sexual activity outside of marriage is illegal in Oman. [15] Under section 9(1) of the Prevention of Abuse of Women and Children Act 2000, rape is defined as having sexual intercourse with a woman, with or without her consent, when she is under sixteen (16) years of age. [30] Sexual activity outside marriage is illegal in Afghanistan. The minimum age of marriage is 12 for men and 13 for women. [1] In Malaysia, the Children Act 2001 defines a “child” as “a person under the age of 18 years”, and the Age of Majority Act 1971 assumes that every person in Malaysia has reached the legal age of 18. This usually means that they are children in the eyes of the law and cannot be held to adult standards and are usually unable to deal with certain legal issues such as entering into contracts or marrying without parental permission. The age of consent in Cambodia is 15, regardless of gender or sexual orientation. [36] The age of consent in this country is determined by Section 8 of Chapter 4 (Debauchery) of the Anti-Abduction, Trafficking and Exploitation of Persons Act, which was specifically enacted to prohibit sexual relations with children under the age of 15. The law prohibits “debauchery” with a child under the age of 15, and this term (the original Cambodian word is anacha has been interpreted by the courts to prohibit any form of sexual behavior (consensual and non-consensual; both “normal” sex and paid sex) with a child under the age of 15. It is the main legal instrument for prosecuting foreigners who engage in child sex tourism in Cambodia. [37] [38] [39] [40] The age of consent in the Philippines is 12, one of the youngest in the world.
Sexual activity with a person under the age of 12 is considered legal rape and will be punished as such.