However, there is also a law (Article 337) prohibiting “aiding and abetting corruption or debauchery of young persons of both sexes under the age of 18”. What specific actions would conflict with this law and under what circumstances are unclear. It is included in a section of violations of public morality alongside the offences of procuring, recruitment and prostitution. Sexual touching of any kind committed against a child constitutes the offence of paedophilia and is sentenced to 5 years in prison and a fine of 200,000 ouguiyas. [20] The age of consent is 15, regardless of gender. Homosexual acts may be illegal under article 151 of the Criminal Code (crimes against nature). The law is: Have you ever wondered why children are prosecuted and punished when they are under the age of 18? Here`s what you need to know about the age of criminal responsibility. The legal age for non-penetrative sexual touching can be 16. Article 5 requires “carnal intercourse”, but Article 3 (rape) applies to “sexual acts”, which are defined much more broadly and include “any form of genital stimulation” against persons under the age of 16. Under Gaddafi`s government, the normal age of consent was 18, but sixteen-year-old girls could be married off as long as their parents agreed. Premarital sex was illegal.
Article 144 of the Criminal Code prohibits engaging in sexual acts with persons under the age of 14. Indecent acts involving minors aged at least 15 but under 21 without violence are illegal if the perpetrator is an ascendant, a person in a position of authority (such as an employer) or a person responsible for education or supervision. [46] The age of consent to sexual activity in Africa varies across jurisdictions across the continent. The specific activity or gender of participants can also affect this age and the legality of sexual activity. Below is a discussion of the various laws that deal with this issue. Highlighted age refers to an age at or above which a person can have full sexual intercourse with another person who is also at that age or above. Other variables, such as provisions relating to homosexuality and/or sodomy that are illegal or close to age may exist and may be indicated. The age of consent in Senegal is 16 (article 320 applies to children under 16; Section 319 applies to children under the age of 13).
Homosexual sex is illegal. [62] Article 29 of the Somali National Constitution defines a child as anyone under the age of 18 and states that “every child has the right to be protected from ill-treatment, neglect, abuse, or humiliation. [66] Same-sex relationships are legal. [67] Different jurisdictions express these definitions differently, such as Argentina may say that the age of consent is 18, but an exception is made up to the age of 13 if the older partner does not have a position of authority over the younger one. The following data reflect what each jurisdiction`s legislation actually means, not what it says superficially. The age of consent in Kenya is 18, as children under the age of 18 are defined and cannot give consent. [34] [35] Marriage is not possible before the age of 18, the law is clear in this regard. [36] Homosexuality is illegal in Kenya. [37] The legal age of marriage is 18 and art. Article 484 of the Criminal Code provides for harsher penalties (2 to 5 years) for non-violent sexual acts against a victim under the age of 18.
[50] [51] [52] The Protection of Mentally Disabled Girls and Women Act 1916, which replaced the various age of consent laws of the four colonies of the Union of South Africa, criminalized sexual intercourse between a man and a girl under the age of sixteen unless they were married. This law was replaced by a prohibition similar to section 14 of the Immorality Act 1957. Although sexual relations between men were already illegal and prohibited by common law as “bestiality” or “unnatural sexual acts”, the Immorality Act also criminalized sexual intercourse between a man and a boy under the age of sixteen. However, according to Article 306 of the Code, any action that violates Islamic morality is illegal, but a clear definition of morality does not exist in the country`s laws, so it is very open to interpretation by local officials of what is moral and what is not. As a result, many acts related to the age of consent could be considered illegal. The same article punishes “immoral bodily harm” with penalties ranging from 1 month to 2 years in prison, but indecent bodily harm is also not clearly defined. [47] The age of consent is 18, according to the Criminal Code Amendment Act, 2018,[6] Same-sex relations were legalized in July 2019. Article 533-19 prohibits inciting debauchery or encouraging corruption of minors. [7] Sex work is illegal and sex work law has been used against homosexual men and women.
[22] Article 354 prohibits 3 months to 2 years in prison for same-sex conduct, making homosexuality illegal. [13] Sanctions are strengthened if a person concerned is under 18 years of age (Article 360).