Is 16 and 18 Legal in Philippines

„We welcome this legal development and hope it will help protect young girls from rape and sexual abuse,” said Josalee Deinla, spokesperson for the National Union of People`s Advocates, which provides legal aid to poor and marginalized people in the Philippines. Children`s rights activists have been pushing for decades to raise the age of consent, but stubborn social norms in this deeply religious country, where abortion and divorce are illegal, have thwarted their efforts. While raising the age of consent brings many cases of sexual abuse into the realm of crime, a UNICEF guidance note also argues that 12 is „too low” for consent because the child „barely got through puberty.” „The part of a child`s brain that processes their understanding of the consequences of their decisions has not evolved at age 12 and continues to evolve at age 18. Therefore, setting the age of sexual consent at 12 contradicts scientific findings on brain development, as well as physical and emotional maturity,” the document reads. However, this provision includes any person who is related to the fourth degree of consanguinity or affinity or who is bound by local laws, customs and traditions, or who acts in the exercise of social, moral or legal responsibility. This is in line with the „Romeo and Juliet laws” that have been enforced in several countries to avoid consensual sex between teenagers. For example, in the state of Ohio in the United States, despite the age of consent of 16, consensual sexual relations between people 13 years of age and older with a partner under 18 years of age are considered legal. Even in France, where the age of consent is 15, consensual sexual relations between a minor and a partner for up to five years longer are allowed. MANILA, Philippines – When the Philippine legal system set the age of sexual consent at 12, child rights activists viewed Republic Law No. 116481 as a „beacon of hope, especially for victims.” Under the revised law, signed into law by President Rodrigo Duterte on Friday and released on Monday, sexual relations with anyone under the age of 16 are illegal and carry a maximum sentence of 40 years in prison. A 2015 joint study by UNICEF and the Center for Women`s Resources, a local nongovernmental organization, showed that seven out of 10 rape victims in the Philippines were children. MANILA – President Rodrigo Roa Duterte has signed a law raising the age of sexual consent from 12 to 16.

Activists hold a makeshift cell with colleagues wearing masks depicting President Rodrigo Duterte (L) and Bongbong Marcos (R), current candidates in the May 9 presidential election, during a march to Malacanang Palace to celebrate International Women`s Day in Manila, March 8, 2022. (AFP Photo) MANILA, Philippines (AP) — Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte has signed a law raising the minimum age of sexual consent from 12 to 16, his office said Monday, to protect minors from rape and sexual abuse. In a statement calling on the Senate to pass the Stop Child Rape Act in 2021, UNICEF noted that the legislation had not changed over the past 90 years. Newsletter | Click here for the best explanations of the day in your inbox Gabriela, who said the law will help combat extremely disturbing violence against women and children, pointed out that every 24 minutes and 34 minutes, a child and a woman are sexually abused. Malacañang on Monday, March 7, issued Republic Law (RA) No. 116481, a law that „provides better protection against rape and sexual exploitation and abuse and raises the age to determine the commission of lawful rape.” Republic Act (RA) No. 11648, signed by Rodrigo Duterte on March 4, amends Republic Act No. 3815 or the Revised Penal Code and Republic Act No. 7610, or Special Protection of Children from Abuse, Exploitation and Discrimination.

Without Republic No. 116481, Article 266-A of the RPC stipulates that rape is considered even in the absence of elements of violence, threats, intimidation, etc. is committed as long as the victim is under 12 years of age or suffering from dementia. Senator Risa Hontiveros, one of the legislators who worked tirelessly for the law, said that since the Philippines is a signatory to the Convention on the Rights of the Child, it should protect children from all forms of sexual violence and exploitation. 🗞️ Subscribe Now: Get Express Premium to Access the Best Election Reports and Analysis 🗞️ As used in this law, abusive does not mean the absence of undue influence, intimidation, fraudulent activities, coercion, threats, harm or physical, sexual, psychological or mental abuse, intentionally or negligently, during sexual activities with child victims, the law said. „The seduction of a minor, aged 16 and over, but under 18 years of age, committed by deception, is punishable by arresto mayor,” reads the amended article 388. RELATED STORY: Zubiri welcomes approval of law raising legal age of rape Lawrence Fortun, one of the bill`s main sponsors, described it as „a big step forward.” The Philippine Senate voted 22 votes in favor, 0 against and 1 abstention in favor of the bill. If the bill is signed, Senate Bill No. 2332, colloquially known as the End Child Rape Bill, will amend Republic Act No. 8353 of 1997, also known as the Anti-Rape Act of 1997, to raise the age of sexual consent.

The bill would also change the legal age of rape in the country from 12 to 16. The Philippine rape law is violated when a person has consensual sexual relations with a person under the age of 12. „The United Nations has long been concerned about the alarming age of sexual consent in the Philippines,” Gustavo González, the UN`s humanitarian coordinator and coordinator, said in a statement issued in July 2021. The AP news agency also documented a „culture of cover-up and silence” about sexual abuse in churches. In a country with about 80 to 85 percent Catholics, an archbishop estimated in 2002 at a national bishops` conference that 200 of the Philippines` 7,000 priests „may have committed some form of sexual impropriety.” In fact, President Duterte also claimed that he was sexually abused by a bishop when he was a child. In 2013, a Manila cardinal was quoted as saying, „In Asian cultures, it is often preferable for such cases to be dealt with calmly within the Church,” AP reported, adding that persecution of priests is „extremely rare.” According to the World Population Review, the age of consent in Japan is 13, while countries such as China, Germany, Italy and Brazil are 14.