What is the age of consent in the UK and could it be lowered to 15? The legal sex age for the USA, France, Japan, Spain and others
A debate's stirring over the age of consent in the UK, which has been set at 16 since 1885
THE age of consent in the UK has been set at 16 since 1885 when it was raised from 16 to fight child prostitution.
So why is that age being debated all of a sudden... and what are the ages of consent around the world?
Why are people talking about age of consent right now?
The controversial topic is back in the spotlight after France announced plans to set its age of consent to 15 following two cases involving 11-year-old girls.
Sexual acts with a minor can be prosecuted as sexual offences under current laws but the prosecutor must prove it was non-consensual, .
The new law is understood to put the responsibility on the adult to prove the minor gave consent, rather then the victim prove they were tricked.
It comes after a 29-year-old man was acquitted of raping a girl, 11, because there was no evidence of her being coerced
What is the age of consent in the UK and should it be lowered?
The age of consent is 16 regardless of sexual orientation or gender, as stated in the Sexual Offences Act of 2003.
"It is an offence for anyone to have any sexual activity with a person under the age of 16," it says very clearly.
But a debate may be stirring to lower the age of consent to 15 - and it wouldn't be the first time.
Of the 1,200 participants to make their voices heard in a , 90 per cent said the age of consent should not be lowered.
Has anyone tried to lower the age of consent in the UK before?
Yes... A leading public health expert campaigned to lower it to 15 in 2013 but Downing Street rejected the proposal.
Faculty of Public Health president Professor John Ashton said more and more children were having sex before 15.
He held up official figures which showed up to a third of teenagers were having sex before the age of consent at the time.
Downing Street said the current age of 16 was in place to protect children and there were "no plans to change it".
What are ages of consent around the world?
While most countries prohibit sex with under-16s, the ages of consent around the globe vary from 11 to 21.
In Europe, it remains 14 for Germany, Austria, Hungary, Italy and Portugal - while Spain raised its from 13 to 16 in 2013.
The United States sets its on a state-by-state basis with the lowest being 16 and the highest 18.
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Nigeria has the lowest age of consent anywhere in the world at 11 but it is 16 in most parts of Africa.
South Korea has set its at 20 while Japan has the lowest in Asia at 13.
Like many parts of North Africa, many parts of the Middle East do not have an age of consent but do require that people are married.