Age of Consent

1. The age of consent is the minimum age at which an individual is considered legally old enough to consent to participation in sexual activity.
2. The current age of consent in India is 18 years.
3. Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act criminalises all sexual activity by children under 18.
4. Prosecution for statutory rape or the equivalent local law will be initiated when a sexual activity involves individuals less than 18 years.
5. The age of consent lowers to age 15 if the couple are married.
6. Countries like the US provides exception in the form of "Romeo and Juliet laws" if one or both participants are underage, and are close in age.
7. Recently, the Law Commission of India has advised against reducing age of consent to 16 under POCSO Act, as it can have damaging effects on fighting child marriage and child trafficking.