I'm not linking to the DM, but Barrister Barbara Hewsin suggests lowering the age iof consent to stop the scapegoating of old men accused of abuse.

[INeedThatForkOff]

I've been very glad to see that times have moved on since my teachers husband tried to assault me on a Year 9 camping trip. I'd be outraged if what happened to me 20+ years ago happened to my DD now.

However Barbara Hewson suggests that 'misdemeanours' such as Ms Hewson argues that 'touching a 17-year-old?s breast, kissing a 13-year-old, or putting one?s hand up a 16-year-old?s skirt' could be addressed by lowering the age of consent to 13.

It was only a matter of time, I suppose, before views like this were reported.

I just looked up Irish marriage and it says the minimum age is 18. Is that right?

Good grief, how hideously awful that a supposedly well educated, sane woman thinks like this. Totally lack of empathy for victims. 13 yo, well probably looked 16, probably enjoyed it, why should the man pay a price. adult woman molested - get over it, it's not like you were gang raped. OMG

I think its down to todays parents, not only to speak openly to their DC about sex and relationships, inappropriate touching/secrets etc, but also to turn the tide against porn. I am totally anti porn, even soft porn - page 3 and the like. What an eyeopener it has been learning via MN about some of the scenes and trends in more serious films and even 18 "games", that is widely available for young boys to see and get their attitudes to women from. Child porn obviously is a whole other issue, but I do think teh role of ANY porn in our society needs to be considered carefully and better restrictions put in place about whats available free online.

Ireland age of consent IIRC was 16 but when homosexuality was decrimilised they wanted the age of consent to be same for all and for some reason 16 was thought too be too young to consent to homosexual sex??

You can leave home at 16 with parental consent, marry at 18, you can apply to marry if one of the 2 are under 18 for a court exemption order and parental consent or lack of it has no bearing on it.

But it's still bloody backward re:womens rights etc.

Smells so that means in Ireland it is state policy IYSWIM to be able to have sex before you can get married (barring a court exemption order)?

I never knew that.

Sorry for the tangent.

Have sex legally at 17, get married without gov intervention at 18. Sex outside marriage is legal.

Could we invite her on mumnet for a discussion ?

She needs reeducating, and perhaps once she realises the error of her way, she can help undo some of the damage her statement has caused.

MNHQ invite her to explain the thinking behind her statement, and Q&A session.

Maybe she did it for the notoriety.

Allmy, I believe barristers are self employed so she will be funding her own pension.

Hopefully she'll be getting less work now.

Hopefully she'll be getting less work now

or maybe this was a bid for work, there appears to be a lot of them that will require the services of someone who has her rational.

What about the thousands & thousands of girls aged 12, 13, 14, 15 across the world in places like India, Pakistan, Afghanistan and many other places who are married off by their parents to men who are usually much, much older than them?

Why do we rarely or never get so outraged over them?

Are young teen-age girls in this country more worthy of our concern than young teen-age girls in any other country?

You again, UrbaneLandlord?

Odious, horrible woman.
My youngest is 13, nearly 14. She is still a child in every sense of the word. Thinks like a child, acts like a child, is tiny and barely started on puberty. She still thinks any sort of sex/ kissing etc is disgusting and gross, even with her own age, and cant imagine why anyone does it. She is completely normal, except her body and brain have not yet caught up with her chronological age. The thought that the law would no longer protect her against creeps and sick adult men who would think she was fair game is truly horrifying.

I imagine even if she were 5'8" and built like an adult I would feel the same. Many of her friends are further ahead than her developmentally but if you listen to them talking, they are still just 13 year olds and very much still children.

Any sort of sexual contact at this early stage I am certain would damage her for the rest of her life. What is this odious woman thinking? And people giving her airtime are as bad.

Wouldn't it be easier to tell the old men to leave the little girls alone?

Also I believe the reason there is or was no age of consent for lesbian sex was because of queen Victoria. Apparently she didn't believe that women got up to that sort of thing

I posted this on another thread, but it is pertinent:

I have long thought that there is a creeping campaign to lower/remove consent ages.
Although we wrap our children up and protect them it also removes the independence and confidence from children and young teens to resist. So although children are kept child like longer in many respects they are also exposed to a barrage of sexuality, e.g. music videos, computer games, films with ever explicit scenes from a young age.
I really believe that in many cases 'officials/leaders' are conspiring to remove constraints. The ludicrous sentences handed out by courts to offenders, blame foisted onto children , 'she/he actively participated' line used to excuse behaviour. The resistance to lock up permanently offenders for protection of the public.
I would seriously wonder about anyone who thinks offenders 'rights' trump children's safety.
Maybe the Operation Yewtree investigation should extend to politicians, police/CPS chiefs, and judges!

The Police should be looking into this womans' private life!!

UrbaneLandlord

What about the thousands & thousands of girls aged 12, 13, 14, 15 across the world in places like India, Pakistan, Afghanistan and many other places who are married off by their parents to men who are usually much, much older than them?

Horrific and vile, hateful practice that should be stopped, shall we set a good example then?

Why do we rarely or never get so outraged over them?

WE ? You might rarely or never get so outraged over them, please don't think for one moment you speak for anyone else.

Are young teen-age girls in this country more worthy of our concern than young teen-age girls in any other country?

No, why would you think that, because we are discussing a twat of the highest order, who clearly is completely unbalanced, and want to offer up young girls legally to predators for sexual satisfaction,

Adults having a discussion about how to deal with a serious threat to children, how can that possible be about who is more worthy than who, what a weird concept anyway, do you normally devise a worth scale for people where abuse is concerned?

You may find that because you are labouring under such an odd concept, that is why you are experiencing difficulties grasping the points of this thread.