The age of consent in South Sudan is 18. [74] [75] [76] [77] (a) the consent of the person was obtained by making a false statement about the nature of the act and the identity of the person performing the act; Since the 2015 Penal Code, the age of consent in Togo is 15. [81] Finally, it should be noted that age of consent laws, which aim to curb the sexual exploitation of minors, do not coincide with the minimum age of marriage, which aims to discourage child marriage. Now let`s take a closer look at the age of consent in some countries. Some online sources incorrectly state that the age of consent is 12, but Article 192 criminalizes all sexual acts with persons under the age of 14 (penalties are increased if penetration takes place or if the victim is under 12). There is no age of consent in Pakistan. All sexual activity in Pakistan is illegal until marriage. The minimum age of marriage is 18 for men and 16 for women. In some cases, women are allowed to marry at the age of 14.
Once two people are married, their age is no longer an issue and sex is legal. Consensual same-sex relations are criminalized in Pakistan. According to Article 305 of the South Korean Penal Code, the age of consent in South Korea is 20. This is one of the oldest ages of consent in the world. Previously, the age of consent in South Korea was 13, one of the lowest in the world. However, there were significant demands at that age that led to several complicated cases that sometimes seem to contradict each other. Note: This age is measured in the international age, which starts at zero on the birthday, as opposed to the Korean age, which counts the time spent in the womb and ends on 01. January adds a year, so it is usually 1-2 years older than the international age. Aruba, Honduras, Costa Rica and Saint Vincent and the Grenadies have the lowest age of consent in North America at 15. In the United States, the age of consent is determined individually by each state and ranges from 16 to 18.
Most South American countries choose 14 as the age of consent, including Paraguay, Peru, Brazil, Bolivia and Ecuador. Chile and Argentina, however, have the highest age of consent in America at 18. 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. This is confirmed by sections 48 (indecent assault on children) and 49 (unlawful sexual intercourse with children) of the Penal Code Act 2010. A child is defined by the Code as any person under the age of 18, and both sections state that consent is irrelevant. [38] Section 5 also applies only to female victims and sets the age of consent for men at 16. [30] (1) Every person who unlawfully and immorally attacks a woman or girl is guilty of a crime and is liable to imprisonment for fourteen years.
(2) Proving that she consented to the indecent act is a defence against indecent assault against a girl under twelve years of age, provided that a sufficient defence to an indictment under this subsection is sufficient if it appears to the court before which the indictment is to be presented that the person so charged had reasonable grounds to believe that: and actually believed that the girl was twelve years of age or older. [87] Article 29 of the Somali National Constitution defines a child as any person under the age of 18 and states that „every child has the right to be protected from ill-treatment, neglect, abuse, or humiliation. [66] Same-sex relationships are legal. [67] The age of consent in Uganda is 18 for vaginal intercourse. [84] [85] „Heterosexual sodomy“ (and/or oral sex with an opposite-sex partner) and all same-sex sexual acts were illegal until January 2014, when President Museveni blocked the anti-gay law. Although the legal age of marriage is set at 18 for most populations, there is still surprisingly a grey area in some countries. For example, in many regions (e.g. Africa) there is no explicitly defined minimum age for marriage if the parents of minors accept the union [13,14,15]. Nevertheless, the prevalence of child marriage in sub-Saharan Africa is highest in West Africa (49%), followed by Central Africa (40%).
In Central Africa, the Democratic Republic of Congo dominates with 74% of all girls in sexual couples by the age of 19. Cameroon follows with 52% of girls aged 20 to 24 who are married by the age of 18. The highest rates of women aged 20 to 24 who were married or in a sexual relationship for the first time at age 15 are found in Niger, Chad and Mali throughout West Africa [16]. The age of consent in Cape Verde is 14, regardless of sexual orientation and/or gender, with partial protection for persons under 16. [11] The legal age of consent is 16 or older in most countries, as people of this age are considered mature and capable of making decisions. Some of the countries with the age of consent under 16 have other local laws to protect children under the age of 16 from sexual exploitation. This is provided for in article 175 of the Criminal Code. Article 177 prohibits sexual activity with 14- and 15-year-olds if access is obtained by „abuse of their inexperience,“ while Article 178 sets the age of consent for same-sex relations at 16.
[61] The gap between the legal age of sexual consent and the age of marriage has raised concerns about what happens between the gap. This review provides insight into the nuances surrounding an age for sexual consent that is relatively lower than the age of marriage. We conclude that this inequality has a pluralistic perspective, that is, it has both positive and negative effects on young people. However, we postulate that aligning the age of marriage and the age of sexual consent would not make a significant difference. Instead, sub-Saharan Africa should focus on introducing comprehensive sexuality education in schools and also for young people outside of school, as well as improving access to SRH services by providing youth- and youth-friendly corners and centers, family planning, and comprehensive abortion care. These strategies will enable sub-Saharan Africa to address the current status quo of the age of marriage and sexual consent.