Canada raises the Age of Consent to 16.

[Fut004]

This topic has come up a couple times recently, so I thought it was interesting to find out that Canada has recently increased the age of sexual consent.

The Criminal Code was amended last week to raise the age of consent to 16 from 14.

In Canada, children and teenagers under the age of 16 can no longer consent to sexual activity. No kissing, no copping a feel, no oral sex, no sexual intercourse.

But there is an important exception. The "close-in-age" rule means that teens can have sex with peers who are within five years of their age without facing prosecution.

Despite the new law, a 14-year-old can still consent to sex with an 18-year-old, and a 12-year-old can consent to sex with a 15-year-old, just as they can now.

The real target of consent laws is adults. An adult who has sex with a person under the age of 16 - with few exceptions, such as marriage - risks criminal prosecution and a penalty of up to 10 years in prison.

Globe&Mail.com | From 14 to 16: What does raising the age of consent accomplish? - Full Article


Is upping the age of consent really the way to help protect children??

[Mezurashi]

Is upping the age of consent really the way to help protect children??

my opinion is Nope ... when I was a teen I gave little to no thought to the age of consent -- all I cared about was getting laid and I preferred older girls/women so I never ran into the too-young-for-me situation.

as for the Pedophiles, I have always wondered why society expects lawbreakers and those who live outside of social norms to suddenly obey a New Law. all this new age of consent legislation does is up the age when the farmgirls feel they can run away from home and become strippers in a local bar.

yet another example of the silly season politics of Canada -- it's like passing a law making preconceived entrapment and torture illegal, oh wait, it is -- gee, I wonder how well that law is working at prevention ...

[brodyhyde]

I can't believe in Canada the age of consent was 14. I had no idea. Sounds like Appalachia. Upping the age of consent will help prosecutors for sure.

[Freddy]

Here in Massachusetts the age is 16. However, it is the parent who decides if a minor male is charged with statutory rape, unless it is a case of force. For an adult the old adage "15 will get you 20" is still the case.