Lowering age of consent will undermine child safety: Govt

NEW DELHI: Despite a Supreme Court seat successful Jan asking Centre to see introducing a "Romeo-Juliet" clause to exempt "genuine teen relationships" from Pocso's harshest provisions, govt successful effect to a question successful Lok Sabha connected Friday said "any dilution of the property of consent oregon instauration of exceptions would undermine kid safety, summation the hazard of exploitation, and weaken India's committedness to the extortion of children, particularly teen girls". Minister for women and kid development, Annpurna Devi, stated successful the written reply that "uniformity crossed laws successful prescribing the property of consent arsenic 18 years is intended to forestall manipulation, coercion, and exploitation of minors, recognising that children deficiency the ineligible and intelligence capableness to springiness meaningful and informed consent successful matters involving intersexual activity." The WCD curate was replying to a question connected misuse of Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act raised by Lok Sabha MPs from CPI, Subbarayan K and Selvaraj V, wherever they asked "whether the attraction of govt has been drawn to the interest expressed by a two-judge seat of SC astir the repeated misuse of Pocso Act, asking govt to see introducing a "Romeo-Juliet" clause to exempt "genuine teen relationships" from Pocso's harshest provisions". In response, the curate said, "The legislative determination to clasp the property of consent astatine 18 years is simply a conscious and considered argumentation determination." Devi highlighted that the property of bulk has been uniformly fixed astatine 18 years crossed assorted statutes successful bid to support consistency and coherence wrong the ineligible framework, including, Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023; Pocso Act, 2012; Prohibition of Child Marriage Act, 2006; Hindu Adoptions and Maintenance Act, 1956; Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Act, 2015; and Hindu Minority and Guardianship Act, 1956.

" "The legislative intent underlying these enactments reflects the settled presumption that individuals beneath the property of 18 years are not deemed susceptible of providing informed consent oregon making decisions, the semipermanent implications of which they whitethorn not afloat comprehend," the curate said. Pocso does not explicitly specify the word 'consent', and nether the statutory framework, immoderate intersexual enactment involving a idiosyncratic beneath 18 years of property is treated arsenic an offence, irrespective of whether consent was purportedly given.