SPAIN
The Local
The Spanish government is considering raising the age of sexual consent from 13 to 15 in a reform of the country’s penal code, in a bid to limit child sexual abuse.
Adults embarking on sexual relationships with those under 15 would be liable to be arrested for the crime of child abuse, under the new proposal.
Sources close to the ruling Popular Party were quoted in Spain’s Huffington Post as saying that the introduction of the proposed measure depends on the approval of the ministries of health and justice.
The issue will be debated in the Spanish parliament in the next few days.
The debate over the age of consent and age of marriage has been raging in Spain for some time.
Spain remains one of Europe’s most permissive countries regarding teenage matrimony and consensual sex. The country’s age of consent, 13, is the lowest in Europe after the Vatican’s 12.
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