Devon Dick
RECENTLY, A CVM TV newscast related a story about a distraught grandmother whose 12-year-old grandchild had been missing for two years. The following day, she was found living with a man, who was neither a relative nor a guardian.
The man is now under investigation and our new Children's Advocate, Ms. Mary Clarke, has already commented on this case. It seems also that this case strengthens the advocate's call for an increase in the age of consent for sexual intercourse from 16 to 18.
The issue is determining when is a child old enough to be responsible for self and to make decisions on coitus without recourse to parents and Government.
All will agree that 12 or 14 is too young.
It appears also that the age of 16 is too young because the possibility exists that a baby can result from a sexual encounter,
and a young teenager would not usually be financially strong to care responsibly for a baby.
Furthermore, it is expected that a child will be in school until at least the age of 17 and since it is difficult for someone to manage childbearing and rearing while undertaking secondary school education, then 16 is definitely too early. In addition, medically, it is said that females engaging in early sexual activity run the risk of cervical cancer.
By law, a person is a child up to the age of 18 and implicit in that definition is that such a one needs the protection of parents and the state until 18.
However, the laws of the land give mixed signals concerning protection and when the child has come of age to accept certain responsibility. When is a person old enough and responsible enough to drive a vehicle, drink alcohol, vote, marry, work, gamble and go to war?
SERIOUS QUESTIONS
Having the age for consensual sex as 16 while the age to vote is 18, and one has to be 17 before one can get a driver's licence, poses serious questions and seem to have no rational basis. What do these three numbers or ages represent?
Voting for a political party or a person is not a life and death issue, while sex could involve bringing a life into being or contracting a serious life-threatening disease. So how could it be that one must be older to vote than to have sex? Most 16-year-olds are not ready emotionally, educationally, financially, mentally and spiritually to care for a child.
In addition, 16-year-olds are susceptible to the swaying charms of experienced scheming adults.
Also, the age for consensual sex should not be lower than the age to get a driver's licence. It is also much easier to buy a condom than to get car insurance for a teenager who has a licence for a year. Some general insurance companies refuse to insure them without some ridiculous loading on the premiums.
It is really incredible that at 16, one could engage in coitus that could lead to childbearing, but is unable to be gainfully employed; one could not get married without parental consent, but could be living in a house with a partner and engaging in sex, without parental approval. We are becoming like the United States of America who send teenagers, who cannot legally imbibe alcohol, to war.
Engaging in sexual intercourse is a responsible decision and activity.
The law which determines the age at which one is responsible to engage in sex needs to be changed and should not be lower than the age to marry, vote or get a driver's licence and should definitely be post-secondary school education.
One love and happy Valentine's Day.
Rev Devon Dick is pastor of Boulevard Baptist Church and author of 'Rebellion to Riot: the Church in Nation Building'.
