Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte signed a bill raising the minimum age of sexual consent to 12 to 16 to protect minors from rape and sexual abuse, his office said on Monday.
So far, Philippines has become one of the world's lowest minimum ages of sexual consent, according to United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF), Nigeria the age of consent is under 11 years old. A 2015 joint study by
Children's Foundation and local NGO Women's Resource Center revealed that seven out of 10 rape victims in the Philippines are children. The
study said one in three respondents aged 13 to 17 had experienced compulsive deviant sexual behavior in childhood.
Under the bill recognizing Duterte, sex, any adult who has sexual contact with any person 16 or older will commit statutory rape unless the age difference between them is three years or less and the sex is proven to be consensual and is neither abuse nor abuse. Not exploitative.
The exemption does not apply if the person involved is under 13 years of age.
After decades of struggle, Philippines raises age of sexual consent from 12 to 16
Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte speaks at plenary session ASEAN-China Extraordinary Summit Davao city November 22, 2021.
( CNN ) Philippines President Rodrigo Duterte signed a bill raising the minimum age of sexual consent to 12 to 16 to protect minors from rape and sexual abuse, his office said on Monday.
So far, the Philippines has become one of the world's lowest minimum ages for sexual consent, with Nigeria's being under 11, according to the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF). A 2015 joint study by
Children's Foundation and the local NGO Women's Resource Center showed that seven out of 10 rape victims in the Philippines are children. The
study said one in three respondents aged 13 to 17 had experienced compulsive deviant sexual behavior in childhood.
Under the bill recognizing Duterte, sex, any adult who has sexual contact with any person 16 or older will commit statutory rape unless the age difference between them is three years or less and the sex is proven to be consensual and is neither abuse nor abuse. Not exploitative.
The exemption does not apply if the person involved is under 13 years of age.
According to Philippine law, children as young as 12 years old can consent to sex. Activists are trying to change that.
National Federation of People's Lawyers spokesperson Josalee Deinla said: "We welcome this legal development and hope it will help protect young girls from rape and sexual abuse." It provides the Philippines with Providing legal help to the poor and marginalized.
Lawrence Ford, one of the bill's lead sponsors, described it as "a huge step forward."
"I am pleased that our collective efforts to push for stronger protections against rape and other forms of sexual abuse are moving forward," he said in a statement.
Activists in the Philippines have been working to improve protections against rape and other forms of sexual abuse since the 1980s. Age of Consent. Critics say previous laws protected predators because they could claim victims' consent -- and children as young as 12 could often be coerced or threatened into silence.
Victim advocates also argue that a low age of consent contributes to what international rights groups describe as high rates of sex trafficking and teenage pregnancies in the Philippines, exacerbated by gaps in enforcement of existing laws.
But as of Monday, the law had not changed in 91 years. Patrizia Benvenuti, UNICEF Philippines child protection director, said these factors include a lack of education and understanding among lawmakers and the public on concepts such as children’s cognitive development and ability to give informed consent in 2021.
In a statement on Monday, UNICEF praised the "legislative milestone", calling it "an important step towards realizing children's rights to be free from sexual violence, abuse and exploitation". "
