On one hand we tell our young people that at age 16 they can give the consent to have sexual intercourse, and on the other hand we tell them that they are not yet adults and we forbid them to participate in adult activities in our society such as the right to vote. By increasing the age of sexual consent to 18 years we would be sending the correct message, instead of this mixed message that is now being sent to our youngsters. These two very important milestones of achieving adulthood is in direct contrast and conflicts with the age of sexual consent. Eighteen is also the age at which one is allowed to work full-time. The Jamaican Constitution stipulates that a citizen must reach the age of 18 years before he or she can vote. Of course, like any other transaction, it's a two-way process, the (older) man will expect some sort of sexual favour in return for spending his money. This is done because it is believed that these older men are in a better financial position than younger men to "look after" these young girls. This syndrome is one in which older men are sought out by young girls, sometimes at the urging of the girl's mother. Another issue in our culture which fosters some of our men having sex with underage girls is that of the "sugar daddy syndrome". Of course, all this achieves is to infect the girl with the STI. As a result, some of our men folk will have sexual intercourse with underage girls in pursuit of a cure to their infections. It is also believed that the younger the girl, the more likely she will be a virgin. Sadly, and disturbingly, some males still believe that certain sexual transmitted infections (STI's) can be cured by having sexual intercourse with a virgin. There still exists today, in the Jamaican society, a few sexual myths which foster a culture of men having sex with young girls. In Jamaica, the discourse has continued, with many sharing the opinion that the age of sexual consent should be raised from 16 to 18 years old. By the end of the 20th century, cultural and legal attitudes and practices assisted in getting the age of consent increased, this was now ranging from 15 to 18 years old. In the mid-19th century it was very common to have the age of sexual consent ranging from a low of 10 years old to a high of 13. In the United States of America the age of sexual consent ranges from a low of 13 years old (New Mexico) to a high of 18 years old (California).Īttitudes have, over time, influenced the age of sexual consent in many societies. Mexico is one of few countries with the age of sexual consent being at age 12. In many other jurisdictions the age of sexual consent ranges from as young as 12 years old to as old as 21 years. In Jamaica the age of sexual consent is 16 years old. An individual who engages in sex with someone below the age of sexual consent commits a crime called carnal abuse. In criminal law, the age of sexual consent is the age at which a person is considered to be capable of legally giving consent to sexual acts with another person. NOT very often do we come across an issue which has the ability to ignite and sustain a public debate in the Jamaican society such as the issue of the age of sexual consent.
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