The age at which a person is deemed legally competent to consent to sexual activity varies widely around the world - and even within Europe. Most countries prohibit sex with unders or unders, but in some places the age of consent is as low as 11, or as high as However, even within counties this can vary widely between males and females and in cases of heterosexual and homosexual sex. In the UK, the age of consent stands at 16, regardless of gender or sexual orientation. So how does this compare with the rest of the world? Children as young as 14 are considered able to consent to sex in Germany, Austria, Hungary, Italy and Portugal. By contrast, the age of consent is much higher in Turkey, at The Vatican is the only jurisdiction in Europe not to have equal and gender-neutral age limits.

What Is Statutory Rape?
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What is age of consent? Age of consent is the minimum age which a person is considered legally competent to consent to sexual acts. As a result, if someone older engages in sexual acts with a minor under the age of consent, then this activity may be considered statutory rape. This is because the person younger than the age of consent cannot legally say this act was consensual. Age of consent laws vary considerably around the world, although a majority of countries require young people to be over the age of 14 before having sex. Of the countries with lower age of consent laws, Nigeria has the lowest at just This is followed by Angola and the Philippines at 12, and several other countries, including South Korea and Japan at 13 although Japan has notoriously consent laws that vary in different parts of the country. Additionally, a number of countries in Asia and Africa require individuals to be married before they can legally have sex. These include Libya , Afghanistan and Saudi Arabia , all of which are known to be highly conservative on issues around gender and sexuality. While most European countries have as the age of consent, several other European countries, including Malta and Vatican City , also have higher than average consent laws, requiring young people to be at least 18 before legally having sex.
World Population Review
An individual who is 19 years old or older has sexual contact with someone who is younger than 16 but older than 12 has committed sexual abuse. Thus, if an adult has sex with a minor below the age of consent, the adult may be charged with statutory rape. In Arkansas, a person must be at least 16 years old in order to consent to sex.
There is no law that specifies what age you have to be to have sex; however, criminal law determines when a person can be charged with a crime for having sexual contact with a minor. I am under age Are there times when my sexual activities can be reported to the police or child protective services? There are situations where it is against the law to have sexual contact with a minor. There are some cases where your parents, teacher, doctor, school principal, nurse, etc.