Teenagers want law on sexual consent to protect them

TEENAGERS consulted about possible changes to the age of sexual consent have told the Government they want the law on the subject to protect them rather than allow them unrestricted freedom.

The results of the rare young people’s consultation exercise, involving more than 200 15 to 18-year-olds from around the country, will be released this afternoon by Minister for Children Brian Lenihan. He ordered the process following the rushed enactment of legislation at the height of the political and constitutional crisis that arose from the Government’s handling of the law on statutory rape during the summer.

Legislation hurriedly drafted to replace a long- standing law deemed unconstitutional by the Supreme Court, raised the age of consent to 17 years but treats males and females differently for criminal prosecution. The Joint Oireachtas Committee on Child Protection, set up in the wake of the statutory rape crisis to examine how the law treats a wide range of child welfare issues, has already received a dossier of the teenagers’ views.