Is ‘upping’ the age of consent the answer?
Dear Editor,
I read with intense interest, the December 17, 2013 article in your paper titled, ‘Minister wants age of consent to be moved to 18’. I was very much unmoved by the minister’s declaration of future attention to the matter as I am quite aware of how our ministers can be stimulated to action just in response to international reports.
The sad reality is that the age of consent has been at 16 for quite some time now and has shaped the habits of the Jamaican people. Thus, it would be interesting to see what an increase in age would do.
The sad reality is that the age of consent has been at 16 for quite some time now and has shaped the habits of the Jamaican people. Thus, it would be interesting to see what an increase in age would do.
Nothwithstanding the minister’s declaration — though I have always held the view that the age of consent should equal the beginning of adulthood — I question if increasing the age of consent to 18 years is the true answer?
The issue here, it seems, is not that our children are having sex, but that our girls are getting pregnant. That aside, I sincerely do not believe that the country has sought to assess the root cause of teenage pregnancy which has nothing to do with the age of consent but everything to do with financial needs of many girls and their families. There is the mythical enshrouding of sex on one hand, and contrastingly the early and consistent exposure to sexual content on the other, with peer pressure being the binding element.
Therefore, in moving to remedy teenage pregnancy, the answer cannot be moving the age of consent and the subliminal indication for the provision of condoms and contraceptives. Instead, the real answer must centre on addressing the socio-economic needs of children, dispelling the myths about sex through sex education, alongside regulation of media that has sexual connotations and overtones in the public sphere.
Within the context of the home, the responsibility of attention then becomes the parent(s) or guardian(s). This is an area that needs our attention as our society is not very accommodating of teenage mothers.
CAGMT
