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In making this request, the applicant should indicate whether the marriage will take place in a Catholic Church, or in the Church of the other partner. The age of consent for all glad conduct in Cyprus under the 2002 Criminal Uk dating laws is 17, regardless of sexual orientation or gender. As such, homosexuality was decriminalized, the text of several criminal offences was modified by making it gender-neutral, the age of consent was lifted to 15 applicable to both girls and elementspunishments for several sexual crimes were increased, and the stipulation that a rapist could avoid punishment after rape if he married his victim was abolished. Typically, Japanese citizens will require a certified copy of their family register Koseki Tohon or its extract Koseki Shohon issued within a jesus of the marriage. The is the court of final appeal. In general the bride's priest is responsible for all the papers, because the marriage normally takes place in her parish. This entry was posted in and tagged,. Then in 2011, the gender-neutral Crimes Act 2011 met an equal and gender-neutral age of consent of 16 and legalised anal sex for heterosexuals - reflecting the Supreme Court of Gibraltar's decision and by repealing and updating 140-year-old criminal laws of Gibraltar. Write down the name and address of the municipal government office that registered your marriage, as you'll responsible to contact them directly in the future to obtain proof of your marriage. Below is a discussion uk dating laws the various laws dealing with this subject.
Map showing ages of consent in European countries 14 15 16 17 18 The vary by jurisdiction across. The ages of consent are currently set between 14 and 18. The vast majority of countries set their ages in the range of 14 to 16; only four countries, Cyprus 17 , Ireland 17 , Turkey 18 and Vatican City 18 , do not fit into this pattern. The laws can also stipulate the specific activities that are permitted or differentially specify the age at which a given sex can participate. Below is a discussion of the various laws dealing with this subject. The highlighted age is that at which, or above which, an individual can engage in unfettered sexual relations with another who is also at or above that age. In 2014, the self-declared state of the lifted the ban on , decriminalizing homosexual sex. All jurisdictions in Europe have an equal and age limit. The below is a list of all jurisdictions in Europe as listed in. Neither the nor the have suggested any specific age of consent, and there has not been any effort so far to standardize the age across member states. However, most countries in Europe now have binding legal obligations in regard to the sexual abuse of children under 18. The , which came into effect in 2011, obligates the countries that ratify it to criminalize certain acts concerning children under 18, such as the involvement of such children in prostitution and pornography. No specific age is recommended. As of December 2016, the convention has been ratified by 42 states, while another 5 states have signed but not yet ratified the convention. The penalty is more severe when the subject is below the age of 18. The age of consent in Armenia is 16. Sexual acts with a person under 16. Sexual intercourse or other sexual acts with a person obviously under 16, by a person who reached 18 years of age, in the absence of elements of crime envisaged in Articles 138, 139 or 140 of this Code, is punished with correctional labor for the term of up to 2 years, or with imprisonment for the term of up to 2 years. The general age of consent in Austria is 14, as specified by Section 206 of the penal code. The term unmündig is specified in Section 74 of the penal code. Paragraph 4 of Section 206 defines a close-in-age exception of maximum three years. History The Austrian Criminal Code previously specified 18 as the age of consent for in which the other partner was aged 14—18, while no equivalent provision existed for heterosexual sexual conduct; this was Section 209 of the Criminal Code. In November 1996, an amendment was put before the Austrian Parliament to remove Section 209; but the vote ended in a draw, and the amendment failed to pass. In July 1998, a similar amendment was put forward; it was voted down by the conservative majority. Section 209 came into force when homosexuality between males became legal in 1971. On 24 June 2002, the Austrian Constitutional Court ruled that Section 209 was unconstitutional. The Section was later repealed on 14 August 2002. History The Belgian Criminal Code previously specified an age of consent of 18 for homosexual sex. This provision - Article 372bis - was added in 1965 and repealed in 1985. The age of consent in Bulgaria is 14, as specified by Articles 149 and 151 1. The age of consent for all sexual conduct in under the new Criminal Code in force since 1 January 2013 is 15, regardless of sexual orientation or gender, regulated by Article 158. However, there is a close-in-age exemption of three years. History Before the year 2013, the legal age of consent in Croatia was 14. Homosexual acts were illegal until 1977, when Croatia, then as a , changed its Penal Code. Age of consent was equalised in 1998. The age of consent for all sexual conduct in Cyprus under the 2002 Criminal Code is 17, regardless of sexual orientation or gender. History Until 1998, homosexual acts between men were entirely forbidden under Section 171 1929. In 1989, Alecos Modinos, president of the Cypriot Gay Liberation Movement, brought a case to the. In 1993, the Court held that the prohibition of homosexual acts was a violation of Article 8. In January 1995, the Cypriot Government introduced a Bill in the Cypriot Parliament that would have abolished the ban. Strong opposition from the meant the Bill stalled when referred to the Parliament's Legal Affairs Committee. The European Commission repeated its warning that Cyprus must follow the Court's ruling. In May 1997, again a government measure to repeal the ban failed because of the strength of the opposition. In April 1998, the Council of Europe set a deadline for compliance of 29 May 1998 and on 21 May 1998, the House of Representatives voted 36 to 8 in favour legalising homosexual acts. However it was set at 18 while heterosexual acts remained at 16. In 2002, under pressure from the EU the parliament finally ended the disparate provisions and changed the age of consent to 17 for both heterosexual and homosexual acts, under the revised Criminal Code. Akrotiri and Dhekelia For both of these Sovereign Base Areas British military enclaves on the island of Cyprus, the age of consent is 16. The age of consent in the is 15. History The historic age limit in the Austrian Empire was 14 years by § 128 of the empire Penal Code from 1852. The Austrian Penal Code was not replaced in Czechoslovakia before 1950. Both changes were criticized. Until 1961, homosexual sexual intercourses were generally illegal in Czechoslovakia. Between adult persons, payment receipt or provision and public nuisance were reasons for criminalization. The age of consent in the Kingdom of Denmark is 15 as specified by Section 222: § 222. Whoever has sexual intercourse with a child under the age of 15, shall be punished by imprisonment for up to 8 years, unless the situation is covered by § 216 paragraph 2. In determining the penalty, it shall be an aggravating circumstance if the perpetrator has gained intercourse by exploiting his physical or mental superiority. Further, part 2 of § 223 establishes that the same punishment is applicable to any person found to have grossly exploited their age- and experience based superiority over a person under the age of 18 to seduce said minor into intercourse. The laws in the Faroe Islands and Greenland are equivalent although regulated in separate penal codes for these autonomous countries. History Male homosexual acts were legalised in Denmark lesbianism was never illegal with an age of consent set at 18, after a major reform of the Penal Code in 1930; At the same time the age of consent for heterosexual acts were raised from 12 to 15. But sex with a child under the age of 12 gives double punishment, and sex with a minor at 15, 16 and 17 is illegal for a person in charge of this child. However, until the late 18th century the rule was never used, and, when it came into rule, the convicts were always pardoned to 7 years in jail: exactly the punishment introduced in the Penal Code 1866 but now only for homosexual acts. In 1969, Denmark became the first country to , but this did not include specific laws related to the age of people participating in the production. Consequently, the legal age of consent 15 equaled the limit for pornography produced within the country, but material produced in other countries where the Danish consent law does not apply was not covered and therefore legal. In 1980 it became illegal to sell, spread or possess pornography involving children under the age of 15, regardless of country of origin §235. In the period between the legalisation of pornography and the 1980 amendment to the Danish Penal Code, some companies infamously exploited the lack of age restrictions on material produced in other countries. Inability of person of less than 10 years to comprehend Within the meaning of the offences provided for in this Division, a person is deemed to be incapable to comprehend if he or she is less than 10 years of age. Due to regaining independence from in 1991, the age of consent for male homosexual intercourse was fixed at 16, whereas the age for heterosexual intercourse was 14. The age of consent was equalised in 2001 when the law was amended, specifying an age of 14 for sexual intercourse. The age is 18 when in connection with a person who has some formal power over the young person, like a school teacher. History Until 1971, homosexual acts were prohibited. After decriminalisation, the age of consent was set to 18 for homosexual acts, and 16 for heterosexual acts. In 1999, the age of consent was equalised to 16 for all sexual acts. Åland Islands According to the Åland Treaty, Finnish federal law is applied as the minimum standard. The age of consent is therefore 16. Minors refers to under 18s; the text of the article can be subject to interpretation. This continued to be the case under the Napoleonic Code of 1810. The age of consent was set at 11 in 1832, at 13 in 1863. In 1942, the age of consent for homosexual acts was set at 21, while that for heterosexual acts was still 13. The latter was increased to 15 in 1945. In 1974, the age for homosexual acts was lowered to 18. In 1982, it was lowered to 15, in line with that for heterosexual acts. The age of consent in Germany is 14, as long as a person over the age of 21 does not exploit a 14- to 15-year-old person's lack of capacity for sexual self-determination, in which case a conviction of an individual over the age of 21 requires a complaint from the younger individual; being over 21 and engaging in sexual relations with a minor of that age does not constitute an offense by itself. The ages of 14 and 16 had been relevant since the coming into force of the Criminal Code for the German Empire in 1872: Under § 176, sexual acts with children under 14 were illegal and have been always since. In the latter rule was kept, with minor changes in 1973: Unblemishedness was no longer required, and the court could refrain from punishment if the offender was under 21 years of age. The , by contrast, created a new socialist criminal code in 1968. Male homosexuality had been illegal under regardless of age since 1872. Female homosexuality was not prosecuted. In West Germany, male homosexuality was legalized in 1969. The age of consent was set to 21 years and in 1973 reduced to 18 years. Offenders could be only men 18 or older, and courts could refrain from punishment if the offender was not yet 21. In East Germany, the criminal code was supplemented in 1957 by a provision that allowed the waiving of prosecution if no harm had been done to socialist society by the unlawful act. Concerning § 175, this meant that male homosexual acts were now almost prosecuted only if they involved minors, which meant persons under 18. The new criminal code of 1968 officially legalized homosexuality and in § 151, which now was gender-neutral, criminalized only homosexual acts of adults with minors. In 1987 the GDR supreme court ruled homosexuality was a variant of sexual behaviour just as heterosexuality. In 1989 § 151 was repealed and § 149 amended to include any sexual orientation. After German reunification, according to the of 1990, the § 149 code section stayed in force for the territory of the former GDR, and West German § 175 and § 182 were not enacted here. The need for gender- and sexual-orientation-neutrality and for a new balancing of sexual self-determination and youth protection was also being seen by West German lawmakers. In the ensuing 1994 reform, the minimum age of 14 for all of Germany was kept, and in building on legal traditions of both states, sexual acts committed by a person above 21 with a minor under 16 involving exploitation of the minor's individual lack of capacity for sexual self-determination were made punishable in new § 182. § 175 was abolished. In general, the need for complaint of the former West German law was kept, but in case of special public interest the offence was made prosecutable ex officio as had been the case in East German law. The age of consent in Greece is 15. The general provision for age of consent in Greece is 15 as specified by Article 339, as well as Articles 337, 348B of the Greek Penal Code. In 2015, along with the legalization of , Article 347 which provided a further prohibition of seducing a male under 17 if the actor is a male adult was , therefore equalising age of consent for homosexual acts. There are also several other prohibitions regarding positions of authority and acts of lewdness, as specified by Articles 342 and 343. Furthermore, there is a close-in-age exemption of 3 years age difference for indecent acts between persons younger than 15. The age of consent in is 14. A close-in-age exemption allows sexual acts from age 12 if the older party is under 18. History Until 1961 homosexual acts were illegal. After decriminalisation the age of consent for homosexual acts was 20 and remained so until 1978. From then until 1999 the age of consent for such acts was 18, as specified by Section 199. In 2002 the Hungarian Constitutional Court repealed Section 199 and the age of consent for homosexual acts was lowered to 14 in line with heterosexual acts. The age of consent in is 17, in relation to vaginal, oral, or anal sex, and vaginal or anal penetration. This is the joint highest, with Cyprus, age of consent in the European Union. Relevant offences are found in the Criminal Law Sexual Offences Act 2017, which amended the Criminal Law Sexual Offences Act 2006. Sentences are longer for offences on children under 15, for repeat offences and where the offender is an authority-figure such as a close relative or teacher. The 1930 Carrigan Report into child sex abuse and underage prostitution recommended raising the age of consent to 18 years. The Criminal Law Amendment Act 1935 raised the age to 17, with more severe penalties under age 15, and disallowed a defence of mistake. The law on child sex abuse, including the age of consent, was the subject of a 1989 consultation paper and 1990 report by the LRC. In 2006, the 1935 law was struck out when the found that its prohibition of the mistake defence violated a defendant's rights. The Criminal Law Sexual Offences Act 2006, quickly passed within the scope of the Supreme Court's judgment, replaced the 1935 and 1993 offences with the current ones. While this was controversial, the Minister pointed out that the previous law had not criminalised any sex act by a girl under 17. The 2006 report of the Joint Committee on Child Protection recommended changing the age of consent to 16, and 18 with a person in authority. It advised that close-in-age cases should remain criminalised, but with more lenient guidelines for sentencing. It also recommended wider publicity of the age limits. Most of the changes were implemented in 2017, although the age of consent remained 17. The age of consent in Italy is 14 years, with a close-in-age exception that allows those aged 13 to engage in sexual activity with partners who are under the age of 18, provided that the age gap between them is less than 3 years. The age of consent rises to 16 if one of the participants has some kind of influence on the other e. Not knowing that the victim is underage is not a legal defense, except when it was unavoidable ignorance. If the minor involved is under the age of 11, the crime can be punished even without a complaint and the punishment is aggravated. It is also illegal to perform sexual acts in the presence of a minor aged less than 14 with the intent of allowing the minor to witness the acts, even if they do not take an active part. See also related articles from the Italian Criminal Code in Italian. See also more related articles from Interpol. The age of consent in Kazakhstan is 16, according to article 122 of the Crime Criminal Code. Sexual Intercourse and Other Actions of a Sexual Character with a Person Under Sixteen Years of Age Sexual intercourse, sodomy, or lesbianism or other acts of sexual nature, with a person who did not reach sixteen years of age, the guilty party being aware of that fact, shall be punished by restriction of freedom for a period up to three years, or by detention under arrest for a period up to six months, or deprivation of freedom for a period up to five years. The age of consent in Latvia is 16. History Until 1992, male homosexual acts were illegal under Section 124. This provision was repealed by the Latvian Parliament in 1992 and the age of consent for male homosexual acts was set at 18. In 1998, the Latvian Parliament adopted a new Criminal Code that contained a complex system of sexual offences: the age of consent for all sexual acts other than vaginal intercourse was 14; for vaginal intercourse it was 16 with a close-in-age exemption that allowed 14 and 15 year olds to have sex with a person under 18. In 2001, the law was amended to clarify the situation and confirm that the age of consent was 16 for all acts only a person aged 18 or older can be punished for having sex with a 14—15 year old. The age of consent in Lithuania is 16, as specified by the Lithuanian Criminal Code §151. The age of consent 14 was not set directly in this article of the Lithuanian criminal code, though. It has been established by the Lithuanian case law. There was and remains an exception to this rule: §151. History Until 1993, male homosexual acts were prohibited under the Lithuanian Criminal Code, Article 1221, which was repealed in that year. The new law set an age of consent of 17 for male oral and anal intercourse, 16 for other male homosexual acts, and 14 for lesbian and heterosexual acts. In 2004, the law was amended to equalise the age of consent at 14 for all sexual acts; the age of consent was raised to 16 in 2010, regardless of gender and sexual orientation. The penalty will be imprisonment of five to ten years if the child was less than eleven years old. However, Article 197 prohibits an adult living in an extra-marital community with a Juvenile under 16. This could effectively make the age of consent at 18. The age of consent in Malta is 16. Sexual activity - typically by people over 16 - with people between 12 and 16 can be considered defilement of minors by acts or corruption of a minor, which, at the discretion of prosecutors and the courts, depending on the circumstances, may result in a conviction. Art 201 of Chapter 9 of the Laws of Malta Presumption of violence in cases of carnal knowledge and indecent assault states: 201. Unlawful and any other , shall be presumed to be accompanied with violence - a when it is committed on any person under twelve years of age; b when the person abused was unable to offer resistance owing to physical or mental infirmity, or for any other cause independent of the act of the offender, or in consequence of any fraudulent device used by the offender. The punishment is imprisonment from three to nine years, with or without solitary confinement, as described in Art. The punishment can be increased in certain cases described in Art. There is no definition of how old the offender must be: Even another minor can be guilty of this crime, although there is no evidence that any such case has ever been prosecuted. The age of majority is defined in Art 188 of Chapter 16 of the Civil Laws of Malta: 188. The lewd act may be committed either on the person or in the presence of the minor. All acts which, either by their very nature or of the circumstances in which they are performed, either are directed to the indulgence of the sexual appetite, either of the agent or of the victim, and are capable of arousing sexual interest of the victim, are lewd acts for the purposes of the offence in question. For example, in 2008 two brothers, aged 19 and 20, were found not guilty of defiling a girl, then aged 16 until 2018 the age of consent was 18. Their sexual encounters were consensual, and it was clear that the girl had had several previous sexual adventures with several youths. In 2007 a man of 30 was found guilty of defiling a boy, then aged 14. He had set up a situation in which the boy came to his apartment; as a result of both childish curiosity and what the court deemed to be the guile of the adult man, the boy remained in the apartment even while man first showered and then committed the lewd acts. There are also other cases, where offenders have been found guilty even though the circumstances were not clear, such as the case of a hotel manager aged 35 with a 14-year-old girl on holiday, three men aged 18, 19 and 20 with three 14-year-old girls or another hotel manager of 46 and a boy of 14, who had encounters over a longer time. In the wording of the law there is no discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation. However, discrimination can result from selective enforcement with regard to individual cases. In practice, this problem has never arisen. The concept of age-banding employed in for example Canada is not present in the Maltese legal system and sexual activity between one partner who is 15 years old and another who is 16 years old can constitute defilement of minors, depending on the circumstances, with no exception being allowed purely on the basis of the proximity of their ages. The primary objective of the Act is to transpose the Council of Europe Convention on prevention and combating of violence against women and domestic violence, and it also includes amendments that lowered the age of consent to 16. Sexual Intercourse with a Person under the Age of 16 1 Sexual intercourse other than rape as well as any other acts of vaginal or anal penetration committed with a person certainly known to be under the age of 16 shall be punished by imprisonment for up to 5 years. The age of consent in Montenegro is 14, as set out in Article 206 of the Criminal Code. Article 207 makes it illegal for a teacher, instructor, guardian, adoptive parent, stepfather, stepmother or other person with a similar position to abuse one's position or authority in order to perform sexual intercourse or an equal act with a minor under 18 entrusted for teaching, education, custody and care. History Montenegro decriminalized homosexual sex in 1977, with an equal age of consent, set at 14. Acts such as a ménage-a-trois, or an unequal relationship, e. History In the 1990s, the gained international attention due to its policies regarding the age of consent. Between 1990 and 2002 the Netherlands operated what was in effect an age of consent of 12, subject to qualifications. The relevant law, passed in November, 1990, permitted sexual intercourse for young people between 12 and 16 in most circumstances, but allowed a challenge by parents or by the Protection of Children if there was evidence of. Although the age of consent was often reported internationally to be 12, this was partly misleading, because sexual acts up to 16 remained open to prosecution. The Netherlands has gained an international reputation of being extremely liberal on sexual issues, with some of this is due to exaggerated reports in foreign media and claims by foreign politicians, rather than due to reality. History Prior to 2014, was illegal, the age of consent only applied to females and sexual contact with a female between the ages of 13 and 16 was a misdemeanor. As of 2014, the age of consent is set at 16 for both males and females, sexual contact with any child under 16 regardless of gender is a felony and the ban on sodomy is lifted, thereby legalizing homosexual sex. The penal code on the age of consent is three-tiered. History Sexual relations between two women was never explicitly criminalized, but have been prosecuted under the general indecency law of the Civil Penal Code of 1842. In 1951 a Norwegian ministry of justice white paper recommended de-criminalization of homosexual acts in the 1903 Civil Penal Code §213, but this was rejected by the Norwegian Parliament Stortinget. The ban on sex between men, which also outlawed cohabitation as well as sex with animals, was repealed in 1972 having been recriminalized in 2008. The Penal Code of 2005, replaced the 1902 General Civil Penal Code, and was entered into force on October 1, 2005. Svalbard According to the Svalbard Treaty, Norwegian law is applied as the minimum standard. The age of consent is therefore 16. The same punishment shall be imposed on anyone, who records pornographic material with the participation of such a person. However, in 1876 homosexuality was criminalised by the laws of occupying countries see. In 1932 the first Polish Criminal Code after regaining independence was introduced, making the age of consent of 15 for all sexual acts, regardless of. Since September 2007, the age of consent was formally equalised as part of the Penal Code of September 2007. History Homosexual acts were legalised for the first time in Portugal in 1852, with an equal age of consent at that time - although homosexuality was again re-criminalised in 1912. They were decriminalised a second time in 1982 and an age of consent was set at 16, in line with heterosexual activities. The new Romanian Criminal Code, which came into force on 1 February 2014, sets a general age of consent of 15. However, sexual acts that do not include penetration may be performed from age 13. There is also a close-in-age exemption: the sexual acts are not punished if the age difference between the partners is less than 3 years. The law sets several other restrictions in regard to children under 13: it is illegal for an adult to perform sexual acts in view of such a child; to show pornographic materials to such a child or to induce the child to view ; or to solicit such a child to meet for sexual acts such as on-line solicitation. In addition, it is illegal for an adult to engage in acts of sexual penetration with an adolescent under 18, if the adult abuses the authority or influence they have over the minor in order to gain the sexual access. The relevant articles of the Criminal Code are Art. All these laws are gender neutral and apply regardless of the sexual orientation of those involved. History For a very long time, the age of consent in Romania was 14. The Penal Code of 1864, which followed shortly after the , and was in force between 1865 and 1936, set an age of consent of 14. In 1936, a new criminal code came into force. With regard to rape article 419 the victim being under 14 constituted an aggravating factor. After the installation of the communist regime, the code was modified several time, and, in 1969, a new penal code came into effect. Nevertheless, the age of consent of 14 was maintained. The late 1990s and the early 21st century saw major modifications to the criminal code, in an effort to modify what was seen as outdated provisions, especially as Romania prepared to enter the EU. As such, homosexuality was decriminalized, the text of several criminal offences was modified by making it gender-neutral, the age of consent was lifted to 15 applicable to both girls and boys , punishments for several sexual crimes were increased, and the stipulation that a rapist could avoid punishment after rape if he married his victim was abolished. Changes were made through Law no. Nevertheless, the rapid adoption of numerous laws led to poorly drafted and contradictory texts, which have caused difficulty among the jurisprudence and doctrine, and several cases ended to the in order to clarify the interpretation of the law. The age of consent in Russia is 16. Law of early 2012 tightened the consent laws in Articles 134 and 135 considerably. However, only a person over 18 can be charged. If the victim is not understanding the nature and consequences of the act due to their age being under 12 or mental abilities , it will be considered rape and charged much more severely up to 15 years of prison, or up to 20 if the victim is under 14. Sexual Intercourse and Other Actions of Sexual Character with a Person Who Has Not Reached the Age of Sixteen Years 1. Sexual intercourse committed by a person who has reached the age of eighteen years with a person who has not reached the age of sixteen years - shall be punishable by obligatory labour for a term of up to 480 hours, or by restriction of liberty for a term of up to four years, or by compulsory labour for a term of up to four years with or without deprivation of the right to hold certain posts or to be engaged in a certain activity for a period of up to three years, or by deprivation of liberty for a term of up to four years with or without deprivation of the right to hold certain posts or to be engaged in a certain activity for a period of up to ten years. Pederasty or lesbianism in respect of a person who has not reached sixteen years of age effected by a person who has reached eighteen years of age - shall be punishable by compulsory labour for a term of up to five years with or without deprivation of the right to hold certain posts or to be engaged in a certain activity for a period of up to three years, or by deprivation of liberty for a term of up to six years with or without deprivation of the right to hold certain posts or to be engaged in a certain activity for a period of up to ten years. The deeds stipulated by Part One and Two of this Article committed to a person who has reached twelve years of age but has not reached fourteen years of age - shall be punishable with deprivation of freedom for a term of three to ten years with or without deprivation of the right to hold certain posts or to be engaged in a certain activity for a period of up to fifteen years and with restriction of liberty for a term of up to two years or without such. The deeds stipulated by Parts One, Two or Three of this Article committed in respect of two or more persons - shall be punishable by deprivation of freedom for a term of eight to fifteen years with or without deprivation of the right to hold certain posts or to be engaged in a certain activity for a period of up to twenty years. The deeds provided for by Parts One, Two, Three or Four of this article made by a group of persons, by a group of persons by previous concert or by an organised group - shall be punishable by deprivation of freedom for a term of twelve to twenty years with or without deprivation of the right to hold certain posts or to be engaged in a certain activity for a period of up to twenty years and with restriction of liberty for a term of up to two years or without such. The deeds provided for by Part Three of this article made by a person with a previous conviction for having committed an offence against sexual integrity of a minor - shall be punishable by deprivation of freedom for a term of fifteen to twenty years with or without deprivation of the right to hold certain posts or to be engaged in a certain activity for a period of up to twenty years or by life imprisonment. Where the age difference between the victim and the accused person is less than four years, the latter shall not be punishable by deprivation of liberty for the committed deed provided for by Part One of this article or by Part One of Article 135 of this Code. The commission of lecherous actions without using violence by a person who has reached eighteen years of age in respect of a person who has not reached sixteen years of age - shall be punishable by obligatory labour for a term of up to 440 hours, or by restriction of liberty for a term of up to three years, or by compulsory labour for a term of up to five years with or without deprivation of the right to hold certain posts or to be engaged in a certain activity for a period of up to three years, or by deprivation of liberty for a term of up to three years with or without deprivation of the right to hold certain posts or to be engaged in a certain activity for a period of up to ten years. The same deed committed in respect of the person who has reached twelve years of age but has not reached fourteen years of age - shall be punishable with deprivation of freedom for a term of three to eight years with or without deprivation of the right to hold certain posts or to be engaged in a certain activity for a period of up to fifteen years and with restriction of liberty for a term of up to two years or without such. The deeds provided for by Parts One or Two of this article made in respect of two or more persons - shall be punishable by deprivation of liberty for a term of five to twelve years with or without deprivation of the right to hold certain posts or to be engaged in a certain activity for a period of up to twenty years. The acts stipulated by Parts one, two or three of this Article committed by a group of persons in preliminary collusion or by an organised group - shall be punishable by deprivation of freedom for a term of seven to fifteen years with or without deprivation of the right to hold certain posts or to be engaged in a certain activity for a period of up to twenty years and with restriction of liberty for a term of up to two years or without such. The deed provided for by Part Two of this article which is made by the person who has a previous conviction for having committed an offence against sexual integrity of a minor - shall be punishable by deprivation of liberty for a term of ten to fifteen years with deprivation of the right to hold definite offices or to engage in definite activities for a term of up to twenty years. Former wording Article 134. Illicit Sexual Relations or Other Sexual Actions with a Person Who Has Not Reached 16 Years of Age Illicit sexual relations, pederasty, or lesbianism, committed by a person who has reached 18 years of age with a person who obviously has not reached 16 years of age, shall be punishable by restraint of liberty for a term of up to three years or by deprivation of liberty for a term of up to four years. Depraved Actions Commission of depraved actions without the use of violence by the person who has reached the age of 18 years in relations to a person who obviously has not reached 16 years of age, shall be punishable by a fine in the amount up to 300 thousand roubles, or in the amount of the wage or salary, or any other income of the convicted person for a period up to two years, or by restraint of liberty for a term of up to two years, or by deprivation of liberty for a term of up to three years. Wording prior to 2004 Article 134. Illicit Sexual Relations or Other Sexual Actions with a Person Who Has Not Attained 14 Years of Age Illicit sexual relations, pederasty, or lesbianism, committed by a person who has attained 18 years of age with a person who obviously has not attained 14 years of age, shall be punishable by restraint of liberty for a term of up to three years or by deprivation of liberty for a term of up to four years. Depraved Actions Commission of depraved actions without the use of violence, in relations to a person who obviously has not attained 14 years of age, shall be punishable by a fine in the amount of 300 to 500 minimum wages, or in the amount of the wage or salary, or any other income of the convicted person for a period of three to five months, or by restraint of liberty for a term of up to two years, or by deprivation of liberty for a term of up to three years. For example, in 2005, Valentina Isaeva gave birth to a girl in Moscow, Russia at the age of 11 years, 10 months. The father was 19-year-old Habibula Patahonov from , who rented a room in a flat where Valentina was living with her grandmother. The child's father was sentenced conditionally for child abuse but was not jailed because he was willing to support Valentina and their daughter. The age of consent in Serbia is 14, regardless of sexual orientation or gender. This is regulated by Chapter 18 Sexual Offences of the of the Republic of Serbia and especially Article 180 prohibiting sexual intercourse with a child. Article 112 defines a child as a person under 14 years of age. Article 181 prohibits sexual intercourse with a juvenile defined in Article 112 as a person under 18 if the juvenile is entrusted for learning, tutoring, guardianship or care. Article 190 furthermore forbids cohabitation with a minor person under 18 unless a marriage is conducted. History From 1977 to 1994, sexual acts between men of any age was a criminal offence in Serbia, although the law has never been applied. Then in 1994, the age of consent was 18 just for anal sex between males; any male performing anal sexual conduct with another male, is punishable by up to 1 year in prison, 16 for all other sexual conduct. This lasted until Vojvodina lost its law-making power in 1990. The age limit of sexual acts in Slovakia is 15, as specified by the Slovak Criminal Code, Section 201. § 201 Sexual abuse 1. Any person, who has sexual intercourse with a person less than fifteen years of age or who subjects such person to other sexual abuse, shall be liable to a term of imprisonment of three to ten years. History The history before 1993 within Czechoslovakia is commons with the Czech Republic. Until 1961, homosexual acts were prohibited, however the Criminal Code of that year decriminalised such behaviour partially. However, under Paragraph 244, the age limit of restriction for homosexual acts was set at 18, besides the general limit 15 years. In 1990, the whole Paragraph 244 was repealed and the age limit became 15 for all. A new Penal Code was introduced in 1977, which decriminalised homosexual acts and all discriminatory provisions were removed. In 1995, the age of consent was set at 14 for all acts. The age of consent in Spain is 16, under a new law which came into effect on 1 July 2015. Spanish Criminal Code Article 183: 1. El que realizare actos de carácter sexual con un menor de dieciséis años, será castigado como responsable de abuso sexual a un menor con la pena de prisión de dos a seis años. Translation: Whoever performs sexual acts with a minor under sixteen years, shall be punished for sexual abuse of a minor with imprisonment of two to six years. Cuando el ataque consista en acceso carnal por vía vaginal, anal o bucal, o introducción de miembros corporales u objetos por alguna de las dos primeras vías, el responsable será castigado con la pena de prisión de ocho a doce años, en el caso del apartado 1... Translation: When the attack consists of penile entry vaginally, anally or orally, or introduction of body parts or objects in the first two ways, the offender shall be punished with imprisonment from eight to twelve years, in the case of paragraph 1... There is a close-in-age exemption: El consentimiento libre del menor de dieciséis años excluirá la responsabilidad penal por los delitos previstos en este Capítulo, cuando el autor sea una persona próxima al menor por edad y grado de desarrollo o madurez Translation: The free consent of the minor under sixteen excludes criminal responsibility for crimes under this chapter, if the perpetrator is a person close in age and level of development or maturity to that minor. The age of consent rises to 18 if there is deception or abuse of a recognized position of trust, authority or influence over the minor. Spanish Criminal Code Article 182: 1. El que, interviniendo engaño o abusando de una posición reconocida de confianza, autoridad o influencia sobre la víctima, realice actos de carácter sexual con persona mayor de dieciséis años y menor de dieciocho, será castigado con la pena de prisión de uno a tres años. Translation: Whoever performs sexual acts with a person over sixteen and under eighteen by deception or abuse of a recognized position of trust, authority or influence, shall be punished with imprisonment of one to three years. A new Penal Code was introduced in 1995, which specified an age of consent of 12 for all sexual acts, this was raised to 13 in 1999, and to 16 in 2015. The age of consent in Sweden is 15, as specified by the Swedish Penal Code, Chapter 6 On Sexual Crimes. Case B 415-07 The Swedish age of consent also applies if the act takes place outside Sweden but the elder person later goes to Sweden. The elder person doesn't have to be a Swedish citizen or resident, but could be a tourist on a temporary visit. This is regardless of the age of consent in the country where the act took place. History Homosexual acts, both between men and between women, were prohibited in Sweden since 1864, then in 1944 homosexual acts became legal - but with a higher age of consent of 18 21 if the younger part was in a situation of dependency than for heterosexual acts, which was always set at 15. The age of consent was finally equalized to 15 regardless of sexual orientation in 1978. Pornography laws were softened in the 1960s. From 1971 to 1980 it was legal to buy, sell, and possess child pornography that featured children as young as 10 or 11. The age of consent in is the age of majority set at 18 as per Article 11 of the Turkish Civil Code. According to Article 104 of the Turkish Penal Code Türk Ceza Kanunu , sexual intercourse with minors aged 15, 16 and 17 can only be prosecuted upon a complaint. However, if the offender is a person who is forbidden to marry the child by law or is a person who is obliged to take care of the child due to adoption or foster care, then the prosecution doesn't require a complaint and the punishment is aggravated. Article 103 regulates any kind of sexual activity with minors under 15 or minors under 18 who lack the ability to understand the legal meanings and consequences of such actions as. History The , a predecessor state to the Republic of , decriminalized sodomy in 1858. The age of consent in Turkey was set at 15 for both heterosexual and homosexual sex in the 1926 penal code, but this was raised to 18 in 1953. The new penal code of 2004 also set the age of consent for both heterosexual and homosexual sex at 18, with some differences, such as the act of having sexual intercourse with a minor over 15 being punishable upon a complaint. The age of consent in Ukraine appears to be 16, although it is not specifically set in any one statute. Article 155 states that sexual intercourse with a sexually immature person shall be punishable. Immaturity is irrefutably presumed in those under 14 {Art. Those under 14 are considered children in Ukrainian law, additionally those under 16 are considered minors generally read from all articles and court rulings. However, sexual acts with those under 16 that are considered debauchery can also be prosecuted under Article 156. Article 155 — Sexual intercourse with a sexually immature person 1. Sexual intercourse with a sexually immature person, — shall be punishable by restraint of liberty for a term up to three years or imprisonment for the same term. The same actions committed by a parent or surrogate parent, or where they caused sterility or other grave consequences, — shall be punishable by imprisonment for a term of three to five years. Article 156 — Debauchery of minors 1. Debauched actions committed in regard of a person under 16 years of age, — shall be punishable by arrest for a term up to six months, or restraint of liberty for a term up to three years. The same actions committed in regard of a young child, or by a parent or surrogate parent, — shall be punishable by restraint of liberty for a term up to five years, or imprisonment for a term up to three years. The United Kingdom consists of the jurisdictions of England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland. UK national age of consent legislation does not apply to its dependencies, but they all have it set as 16. England and Wales The age of consent in is 16 regardless of sexual orientation or gender, as specified by the. The vast majority of law relating to sexual offences in the England and Wales is laid out in legislation under the Sexual Offences Act 2003, of which contains upwards of 140 sections, of which around 70 of those sections relate directly to sexual offences. The main sections of the act that relate to sexual offences regarding children are sections 5-15. However this therefore means that even sexual intercourse between willing people of a similar age i. A 16 year old and a 15 year old could result in the older person being liable for prosecution for committing a sexual offence. Because of this, when the Sexual Offences Act 2003 was created, separate sections of the act were put in place to be used on how to appropriately prosecute a person who had sexual intercourse with a person under the age of 16, depending on exactly how young a person under the age of 16 was at time the sexual intercourse took place. Currently this depends on whether a younger person was Under 16 or Under 13 at the time of the sexual intercourse taking place, with the latter being automatically overall illegal, and the former still being illegal, but with defences due to the younger person's older age, more flexibility in sentencing and flexibility overall whether to prosecute or not based on individual case. The age of a younger person matters substantially as under the Sexual Offences Act 2003 any sexual intercourse or any type of sexual activity with a person under the age of 13 is strictly illegal, with rape, assault by penetration and incitement offences carrying a maximum sentence of life imprisonment, and other non-penetration offences carrying a maximum sentence of 14 years depending on case. Where as if a younger person is aged between 13—15, the act does work more flexibly, as for example it is a reasonable defence by an older person to claim they thought a younger person aged 13—15 was aged 16 or over at the time, or for example that two teenagers over the age of 13 were in a relationship before any sexual intercourse took place. However, if person A is over the age of 18 and is in a to person B who is under the age of 18, it is illegal for A to engage in sexual activity with B. Section 47 of the Sexual Offences Act 2003 makes it an offence to pay for or promise payment for sexual services of a person under 18 where the 'client' does not reasonably believe that person is over 18, or in any event for a person under 13. Therefore, there was technically no age of consent for the male participant. The English law became applicable in Wales following the Laws in Wales Acts 1536 and 1543. In there was no actual equivalent of the concept of the age of consent as such, but a girl was marriageable at 12—14 the onset of puberty and a fine was payable for the taking of a girl's maidenhood by force; the rules varied according to status and may not have been applied rigidly to. A concern that young girls were being sold into brothels led Parliament to raise the age of consent to 13 in 1875 under the. After 's articles, the raised the age of consent to 16. Anal intercourse, both male-male and male-female, had been illegal and punishable by death since the. In 1861, parliament passed the , which abolished the death penalty for anal intercourse. The extended buggery laws to outlaw any kind of sexual activity between males. It is common that an amendment that would have criminalised lesbian acts was rejected by Queen Victoria because she refused to believe that some women did such things; but it is likelier that those presenting the amendment excluded it as did the 40 years later on the assumption that it would give women ideas. Male homosexual acts were decriminalised under the , Section 1, although the age of consent for such acts was set at 21, whereas the age of consent for heterosexual acts was 16. However, this particular legislation applied only in England and Wales. In 1994, on the second reading of the , the introduced an amendment to lower the age of consent for homosexual acts to 16, in line with that for heterosexual acts; the amendment was defeated by 308 votes to 280. A compromise amendment that lowered the age of consent to 18 was accepted by 427 votes to 162. Also during the readings were motions to equalise the age of consent to 17 for all, to maintain the age of consent for homosexual acts to 21, and a further attempt to lower the age of consent to 16, all of which were rejected. In response, the Government introduced the Crime and Disorder Bill that contained a provision lowering the age of consent for homosexual acts to 16. Though accepted by the House of Commons, the provision was rejected by the House of Lords. The Sexual Offences Amendment Bill, introduced in 1998, contained a similar provision, but once again it was rejected by the House of Lords. The Bill was reintroduced in 2000 and, despite opposition from the House of Lords, was passed under the which allows the House of Commons to overrule the House of Lords under certain circumstances. As the Scottish Parliament had been established prior to the reintroduction of the Bill, and the relevant legislation was a devolved issue, the consent of that Parliament under the was required — had that consent not been granted, the Scottish provisions would have had to be removed and it would not have been possible to use the Parliament Act. The officially ended the concept of in British law, as technically, heterosexual anal intercourse had still been illegal until the passing of this law. The passing of this law meant that there was no legal difference made between vaginal and anal intercourse, as well as sexual touching and newly added oral penetration and penetration by other body parts than penis or anything else. The Act also raised the legal age for pornography and prostitution from 16 to 18. There have been various suggestions to lower the age of consent to 14 — in 1998 the New Labour government proposed this, but despite some Left wing and Youth support this had been dropped by early 2003 as lacking support, a decade later in early 2013 the suggestion by civil servants to lower the age of consent to 14 was rejected by the Conservative led coalition as offensive at least under some circumstances and attention was drawn to the impact of recent scandals on the reception to any proposals. If the child is 13—15 inclusive and the other person concerned reasonably believed that she usually she was 16 or more no offence is committed. In practice this discourages prosecution where that defence might successfully be run. If a young woman, for example, goes willingly into a pub saloon where nobody under 18 can lawfully go the prosecuting authorities will probably decide that the defendant will readily be believed if he says he thought she was 18, let alone 16 or up. Scotland Since 1 December 2010, the age of consent in is 16, regardless of or. Before that date, it was 16 for girls under a statutory offence and 14 for boys the common law age of. Aged between 13 and 16 does not include 16, however. History Male homosexual acts were illegal in Scotland until 1980 when they were decriminalised by the Criminal Justice Scotland Act 1980, Section 80, which specified an age of consent of 21. The lowered the age of consent of 18 and this was further lowered to 16 by the Sexual Offences Amendment Act 2000 described above. Northern Ireland The age of consent in is 16, regardless of sexual orientation or gender, as specified by the. The reason the age of consent was lowered from 17 to 16 in 2008 with the Order was to bring it in line with the rest of the UK; Criminal Justice Minister said there was no compelling reason for the age to be different in Northern Ireland than elsewhere. The change was a result of the judgement in the case of in which the ECHR held that a prohibition on homosexual acts was a breach of Article 8 of the Convention. The age of consent for gay male sexual conduct was lowered to 18 in 1994 when the was implemented as to be in line with England and Wales. The age of consent in 2001 was then lowered to 17 for gay male sexual conduct - so that was in line with heterosexual and lesbian sexual conduct, by the , Section 1. Then in 2008 the age of consent for all individuals under an Order mentioned above was lowered to 16 so it was inline with the rest of the UK. Prior to 2008, the age of consent in Northern Ireland was always 17 for heterosexuals and lesbian sexual conduct. Akrotiri and Dhekelia For both of these Sovereign Base Areas British military enclaves on the island of Cyprus, the age of consent is 16. Gibraltar Since 2011, the is equal and at 16 in a. The gender-neutral Crimes Bill 2011 passed the and got - implementing the 2011 Supreme Court of Gibraltar decision and by repealing and updating 140-year-old criminal laws of Gibraltar. History Male homosexual acts have been decriminalised in since 1993, where the age of consent was higher at 18 for gay men, 16 for lesbians and heterosexuals. Anal sex was illegal for heterosexuals regardless. An equal age of consent set at 16 and legalising heterosexual anal sex happened because of a Supreme Court decision in 2011. Then in 2011, the gender-neutral Crimes Act 2011 implemented an equal and gender-neutral age of consent of 16 and legalised anal sex for heterosexuals - reflecting the Supreme Court of Gibraltar's decision and by repealing and updating 140-year-old criminal laws of Gibraltar. History In 1983, male homosexual acts were decriminalised with the age of consent set at 21 in line with the UK at that time. In 1999, the age of consent for male homosexual acts was lowered to 18. Isle of Man The age of consent in the , a Crown Dependency, is 16, last amended in 2006. History Prior to 1992, sodomy was illegal, then under the Sexual Offences Isle Of Man Act 1992 after assent the age of consent was set at 21 for sodomy in line with the UK at that time. Then in 2001, the age of consent for male homosexual acts was lowered to 18 under the Criminal Justice Act 2001. In 2006, under the Sexual Offences Amendment Act 2006 the age of consent was lowered to 16, and became gender-neutral for all sexual conduct, regardless of sexual orientation or gender. History Prior to 1990, sodomy was illegal in Jersey for both men and women until 1990 although the age of consent for homosexual acts other than sodomy was the same as for heterosexual acts. In 1990, the age of consent for sodomy between consenting males was set at 21 the UK at that time maintained the age of consent of 21 for all homosexual acts between males. In 1995, the sodomy age of consent became 18 under the Sexual Offences Jersey Law 1995. In 2007, the age of consent was lowered to 16, became gender-neutral for all sexual conduct including sodomy ; regardless of or. Article 4 of Law No. As the Vatican understands divine law, even if not sanctioned with criminal penalties by the state, all sex outside of marriage is illicit regardless of the age or willingness of those who engage in it. When the Vatican City was first formed, it adopted the then-Italian age of consent of 12 as per the of 1929. Until July 2013 it had the lowest age of consent in Europe, but after that month, when the Pope made his decree, it became the highest. Retrieved 16 June 2018. Archived from on 2010-06-13. Retrieved 11 April 2012. Retrieved 17 April 2012. Retrieved 11 April 2012. Archived from PDF on 2008-02-29. National register of legal acts of Byelorussia in Russian. Archived from on 2007-09-27. Retrieved 11 April 2012. Retrieved 19 February 2013. 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