No discriminatory age of consent laws where consensual same-sex sexual activity is not a crime. The age at which a person can legally consent to sexual activity should be the same for everyone regardless of the kind of sexual activity and whether it involves same-sex or opposite-sex participants.

Maintaining a higher age of consent for same-sex sexual activity after repeal of the associated criminal offences is discriminatory, does not achieve full decriminalisation and is not good practice.

Close-in-age defences and exceptions should be available to prevent criminalising children and young people who engage in genuinely consensual same-sex sexual activity with their peers when one or both of them is under the age of consent.

NEXT STEPS TOWARD REFORM: ASIA

NEXT STEPS TOWARD REFORM: ASIA

This report examines the status of sexual offences legislation in Commonwealth Asia, assessing good practice and identifying where there are gaps in protection, with a particular focus on women, children, LGBT+ people and people with disability.

CHANGING LAWS, CHANGING LIVES

CHANGING LAWS, CHANGING LIVES

Since 2015, the Trust's legislative reform programme has been analysing the need for the reform of sexual offence laws and delivering technical assistance to support such reform. Find out more about our Changing Laws, Changing Lives programme.

NEXT STEPS TOWARD REFORM: ASIA

NEXT STEPS TOWARD REFORM: ASIA

This report examines the status of sexual offences legislation in Commonwealth Asia, assessing good practice and identifying where there are gaps in protection, with a particular focus on women, children, LGBT+ people and people with disability.

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