The age of consent

[Laceythesheep]

When I was a teenager (under 16), us girls believed that being under the age of consent protected us. Nowadays, the old tropes of ‘she asked for it’ or ‘she led him on’ are being hauled out as valid defences against raping a child under 16.
What is the point of the age of consent if we are now being told that actually girls under 16 can consent?

the old tropes of ‘she asked for it’ or ‘she led him on’ are being hauled out as valid defences against raping a child under 16.

Those aren't defences - but may be relevant towards mitigation of the sentence.

www.mumsnet.com/Talk/womens_rights/3399188-Guardian-today-Shifting-sands-six-legal-views-on-the-transgender-debate

Read peter dunne’s opinion on this - very concerning

Those tropes are often used by defence lawyers, even if only be suggestion rather than explicitly said.

I always found the age of consent meant I, too, would be punished to adhered to it. As others have said, it's a defence. That's the joy of law

I thought it meant that you couldn't use "they consented" as a defence? Because they can not consent, isn't that the point?

I get the "she said she was 18" defence, but not the "I knew she was under 16, but she was up for it" defence. It's really depressing.

To be honest, when I was young we thought the Age of Consent was just another adult imposition on us like having to be at school, not being able to legally drink, etc.

I get that being young and under the age does not protect girls and young women from misogynistic assumptions though.

The purpose of the age of consent as I was taught it, is that 16 is held in this country to be when a girl is mentally capable of consenting to sex and everything that goes with it.
Of this is the case, there is no mitigation. A man having sex with a 13 year old should never be able to expect or presume consent as the girl is not capable to do so.

The claim "I was led on by a child to commit a sexual offence" is a sign of unrepentant abuser, not anything that should be considered a mitigating factor ffs

It shouldn't matter what the child says - the adult is expected to behave responsibly and not have sex with the child. Same as you shouldn't, oh, I don't know, let a child drive your car.

lacey

I remember someone asking how old i was and when my friend said '16'

He said ' oh good shes legal then'

That was an awfully long time ago though

Things don’t change, whether years ago, or now. Its just the excuses made for the behaviour that changes.