The age of sexual consent for both males and females is 18 and there is a close-in-age exemption (up to 3 years) provided for consensual sexual relationships between adolescents. How We Assess

Extraterritoriality & Extradition ?

The country has extraterritoriality and extradition provisions for sexual exploitation of children crimes. How We Assess

CSAM Definition ?

The definition of child sexual abuse material is in line with international standards. How We Assess

Background Check Required ?

Criminal background checks are a strict requirement for national and non-nationals working in positions that involve or facilitate direct contact with children as a requirement of their job. How We Assess

National Commitments ?

National commitments made to regional and international conventions relevant to addressing sexual exploitation of children. How We Assess

Child Advocacy Centers ?

At least one Child Advocacy Centre has been established and is functioning in the country. How We Assess

SEC Police Unit ?

Existence of dedicated national police units that include sexual exploitation of children crimes in their mandate within both national and extraterritorial jurisdictions. How We Assess

Protection Standards Travel and Tourism ?

Existence of binding requirements for businesses operating in the travel and tourism industry encompassing child protection from sexual exploitation. How We Assess

Public SEC Case Data ?

National data sets made public by government about sexual exploitatation of children include information about reported cases, prosecuted cases and compensation sought by victims. How We Assess

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Age of Consent Law is Appropriate

The age of sexual consent for both males and females is 18 and a close in age exemption (up to 3 years) is provided for consensual sexual relationships between adolescents.

The age of sexual consent is the legally defined age at which a person is considered mature enough to agree to sexual activity. The age of sexual consent varies across jurisdictions around the world and there is no international legal instrument establishing it, however various forms of advocacy have encouraged States to establish a minimum age under which engaging in sexual contact is considered a criminal offence. This is intended to prevent sexual contact with children and to prevent argument that the child consented as a defence.

Often national provisions related to the age of sexual consent include an exception, known as a close-in-age exemption, making consensual sexual activities between young people lawful if the partners are of similar ages and the age difference is not higher than a certain number of years.

To ensure that cases of child sexual exploitation do not go unpunished, ECPAT advocates for the age of sexual consent to be set at 18 for both males and females with a close-in-age exemption of 2-3 years provided in order to ensure young people are not penalised for consensual sexual acts with peers. The age from which the exemption applies should be established by States but may begin for young people somewhere between 12 and 16 years of age.

Yes The national legislation explicitly indicates that the age of sexual consent unequivocally is 18 for both males and females, with a close-in-age exemption for sexual acts between peers (of up to 3 years) is provided by law.

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