Age of sexual consent.

Age of sexual consent is the minimum age at which a person is considered eligible to consent to sexual contact with another person. This is a term of criminal law, but it is rarely used in legal documents concerning a person's sexual activity. It should not be confused with adulthood, the age of criminal responsibility, the age at which alcoholic beverages are permitted, etc.

The age at which people can have sex in different countries of the world can be different. And the laws of responsibility for him are different. In general, the average age of sexual consent is 14 to 18 years. Types of sexual contacts with a person of minor age, such as abuse of a person's trust, are also considered. The topic is narrowly related to sexual violence. Sometimes discounts are made depending on the age of people who have sexual relations with each other (if they are of the same age). In general, of course, there are many "blank spots" in this area of law. This legal module raises heated debates around the world. From the Middle Ages to the present day, there are even conflicts between federal and local laws.

What is typical - almost in all corners of the world the age of sexual consent remained within the competence of the family or counted 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 in Proceedings and Days says that a man can marry at the age of thirty. The girl he will marry must be five years older than the age at which her puberty will come.

For the first time officially the age of sexual consent was established in 1275 in England as part of the law on rape. In the 12th century, Gratian, the founder of the canon law in medieval Europe, in the "Grazian Decree" defined the marriage age between 12-14 years, taking into account puberty. At the end of the 16th century, the laws were generally somewhat stricter. Any sexual assault on a girl at the age of 10 could lead to severe punishment, while a lower penalty was expected by a person for sex with a girl 10-11 years old.

Closer to the 18th century, many European countries experienced changes in the concept of the Enlightenment, when people focused on the development of their children. The Napoleonic Code of 1791 laid the legal basis in this matter, setting the marriage age at 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 higher up to 13 years. In England, a sexual act with a girl under 13 was considered a terrible criminal offense.

In the modern world in most countries, sexual relations with a person who has not reached the corresponding age, are considered a crime. True, the question of when this age of consent actually comes (Russia established it at age 16) is different in the jurisdictions of different countries.