Legal Age of Consent Qatar
The legal age of consent to sexual activity varies across jurisdictions in Asia, ranging from 9 years (Yemen) to 21 years (Hong Kong for women who engage in sex). The specific activity or gender of the participants may also be relevant factors. Below is a discussion of the various laws that deal with this issue. Highlighted age refers to an age at or above which a person can have full sexual intercourse with another person who is also at that age or above. Other variables, such as same-sex relationships or near-age exceptions, may exist and may be noted, for example in Indonesia. According to article 227-25 of the Penal Code, the age of consent in France is generally 15 and 18 if the sexual act is with a parent or a person who has “legal or de facto authority” over the minor participant. Legal rape (or its local equivalent) is punishable by up to five years in prison and a fine of €75,000 (€83,226). The law was only passed in April 2018 following an outcry from two men accused of having sex with 11-year-old girls. The French government has decided to set the age at 13 or 15. The ten France territories have also set the age of consent at 15. The France has a Romeo and Juliet clause that disclaims liability if a person under the age of 15 has sex with someone within five years of their age. The age of consent in Germany is 14. Prosecution for legal rape (or local equivalent) can result in a prison sentence of 6 months to 10 years.
The age of consent in Germany is 14 if both partners are under 18. Sexual acts with a person under the age of 18 are punishable if the adult is an authority figure over the minor in education, education, care or employment. Section 377A (Violations of Public Morals) of the Criminal Code states: “Any male person who, publicly or privately, commits or encourages the commission of gross indecency against another male person, or who provokes or attempts to cause a gross indecency to be committed against another male person by a man, is punishable by imprisonment for up to 2 years. ». This means that any male sexual activity of the same sex (including mutual masturbation, oral or anal sex) is still illegal and the penalty can be up to two (2) years in prison, based on the Offences Against the Person Act 1861. The age of consent at 14 (16 for “impeccable” girls whose parents have filed complaints) was set in 1872 by the penal code of the German Reich. When Germany split into West Germany and the German Democratic Republic after World War II, each territory established slightly different consent codes. After the reunification of Germany, the age of consent remained at 14 and Code § 182 was updated with the current guidelines. The age of consent in Thailand is 15 years, regardless of gender or sexual orientation, as stipulated in Article 279 of the Thai Penal Code.
The current legislation applies to everyone, regardless of gender or sexual orientation. The age of consent in Europe, Asia or another continent varies by country and territory. The age of consent is between 12 and 21 years, with most countries between 14 and 16 years. Nearly a dozen countries, including Iran, Qatar, Yemen and Afghanistan, completely ban premarital sex but have no age restrictions on marital sex. Several other countries have an age of consent above 16, including Cyprus (17), Ireland (17), Turkey (18), Iraq (18), Vietnam (18) and Bahrain (21). In addition, some countries provide for age-related exceptions, others do not. Other quasi-state scholarship providers also require legal guardians to act as guarantors. The Sheikha Moza Education Above All Foundation (EAA) scholarship program, which is offered to non-Qatari students who live in Qatar and wish to study at the College of North Atlantic – Qatar, a public college, requires a “signed consent form and a family guardian undertaking (which allows the EAA to access and confirm the family`s private information).” [155] The Qatar Foundation`s financial assistance program also requires the parent to sign as a guarantor. [156] The government wrote to Human Rights Watch that Qatar University does not require guardian consent when awarding university scholarships to male and female students of different nationalities. [157] Many countries, states, or territories also have “near-age” exceptions, commonly referred to as “Romeo and Juliet” clauses.
These laws can eliminate legal liability if all participants in a sexual act are minors (for example, two 16-year-olds). In areas where there are no age-related exceptions, a person who has not yet reached the age of consent may be held liable for sexual activity with another minor. For example, if a country does not have a Romeo and Juliet clause and its age of consent is 16, two 15-year-olds who voluntarily have sex with each other could both be prosecuted for legal rape. The 2015 Penal Code stipulates that the age of consent in Vietnam is 16, regardless of gender or sexual orientation. [119] [120] Obscene juvenile laws, which take precedence over the penal code, contain age of consent laws for some prefectures. In some, sexual activity with people under the age of 15 is illegal, but in others, the age is 18. In these prefectures, sexual activity with a person under the age of consent can carry a prison sentence of up to five years.
