Age of sexual consent - the minimum age at which a person is considered competent to consent to sexual contact with another person. This is a criminal law term, but it is rarely used in legal documents regarding human sexual activity. It should not be confused with adulthood, the age of criminal responsibility, the age at which alcohol is allowed to be consumed, etc.
The age at which people can have sex in different countries of the world can be different. And liability laws regarding it vary. In general, the
average age of sexual consent was established - from 14 to 18 years. Types of sexual contact with a minor are also considered, such as abuse of a person's confidence. The topic is closely related to sexual violence. Sometimes discounts are made depending on the age of people who have
sex with each other (if they are the same age). In general, of course, there are many “blank spots” in this area of law. This legal module is causing heated debate around the world. from the Middle Ages to the present, there are even conflicts between federal and local laws.
What is typical - in almost all corners of the world the age of sexual consent remained in the competence of the family or was calculated in accordance with national traditions. In most cases, it coincided with the appearance of signs of puberty (menstruation in a girl, the appearance of pubic hair in a young man). In ancient Rome, it was customary for girls to marry immediately after puberty. Hesiod says in Labor and Days that a man can get married at the age of thirty. The girl he will marry should be five years older than the age she will have puberty.
For the first time, the age of sexual consent was officially established in 1275 in England as part of the rape law. In the 12th century, Grazian, the founder of
canon law in
medieval Europe, in the Decree of Grazian defined marriage age between 12-14 years, taking into account puberty. At the end of the 16th century, laws generally became somewhat stricter. Any sexual assault on a girl aged 10 years could lead to severe punishment, while a lesser punishment awaited a person for having sex with a girl 10-11 years old.
Toward the 18th century, many European countries experienced changes associated with the emergence of the concept of Enlightenment, when people focused on the development of their children. The Napoleonic Code of 1791 laid the legal foundation in this matter, establishing a marriage age of 11 years. But in 1863, the age of sexual consent (for girls and boys) was increased to the age of 13 years. Like France, in many European countries in the 19th century it was also taller to 13 years. In England, sexual intercourse with a girl under 13 years of age was considered a terrible criminal offense.
In the modern world in most countries, sexual relations with a person who has not reached the appropriate age are considered a crime. True, the question of when this age of consent actually comes (Russia set it at 16) differs in the jurisdictions of different countries.