There have been talks in Parliament these last few days to have the age of consent lifted to 18 in Jamaica.

The Children’s Advocate, as well as Senator Sandrea Falconer have made arguments regarding a 16 year-old’s inabilty to make good decisions. What do you think?

Should the age of consent be raised to 18?

Oraine Chambers: I think the age of consent in Jamaica should definitely be raised to 18. If you are not legally seen as an adult at age 16, then you should not be engaging in adult activity. Also, persons become more mature as they grow older, and so I think it is fitting that individuals wait until they are at least 18 before they take sexual matters into consideration.

Santena Jumpp: Yes, it should be raised to 18. You cannot sign a piece of paper at 16 without your parents consent, so why should you be able to engage in sexual activity?

Romaine Foster: The age 18 is seen as the age of maturity and is when an individual usually leaves the secondary school system. Once they reach the current age of consent — 16 — they feel more pressured to partake in sexual activity, and that is when a majority of teenage pregnancies occur. Raising it to 18 will postpone this decision for many, and they will be older, and a bit more likely to make wiser decisions.

Tashana Taylor: Since children cannot work at the age of 16, neither can they vote, they shouldn’t be allowed to make decisions where sexual acts are concerned. They are too young and the majority are still in school. The law needs to protect them.

Kemoy Bowen: Yes, I do. This will influence males to allow the young girls to develop more before they engage in sexual activities with them.

Ronn Campbell: Yes. This is the age where individuals are seen as adults in society, and so this is when they should be even considering sex. If you are not mature enough to decide in an election, then you are not matue enough to decide whether to have sexual intercourse.