After Decades-Long Fight, Philippines Raises Age Of Sexual Consent From 12 To 16

President Rodrigo Duterte of the Philippines signed a bill raising the minimum age of sexual consent from 12 to 16 years old on Monday, according to his administration, in an effort to protect youngsters from rape and sexual abuse.

According to the United Nations Children’s Fund, the Philippines had one of the world’s lowest minimum ages of sexual consent until recently, behind Nigeria’s age of 11. (UNICEF).

Seven out of ten rape victims in the Philippines were children, according to a 2015 survey by UNICEF and the Center for Women’s Resources, a local non-governmental organization.

According to the survey, one in every five 13 to 17-year-olds has suffered sexual violence, and one in every 25 has had forced consummated intercourse as a child.

Unless the age difference between them was three years or less and sex was proven to be consensual, neither abusive nor exploitative, under the gender-neutral bill endorsed by Duterte, any adult engaging in sexual contact with anyone 16 or under would be committing statutory rape.

If one of the parties involved was under the age of 13, the exemption does not apply.

“We welcome this legal development and hope that it will help protect young girls from rape and sexual abuse,” said Josalee Deinla, spokesperson of the National Union of Peoples’ Lawyers, which provides legal help to poor and marginalised people in the Philippines.

One of the bill’s key sponsors, Lawrence Fortun, called it “a huge step forward.”

In a statement, he said, “I am elated that our collaborative efforts to press for stronger protection against rape and other types of sexual assault are making progress.”

Since the 1980s, activists in the Philippines have been lobbying to raise the age of consent. Critics argue that the previous rule shielded predators because they could claim victims’ agreement — and minors as young as 12 can be forced or blackmailed into silence.

Victims’ advocates also claim that the Philippines’ low age of consent contributes to high numbers of sex trafficking and adolescent pregnancy, which are exacerbated by loopholes in the implementation of existing laws, as stated by international rights organizations.

However, the law has not been modified in 91 years until Monday. According to Patrizia Benvenuti, child protection chief at UNICEF Philippines, in 2021, factors included a lack of education and understanding among lawmakers and the broader public of topics such as children’s cognitive development and the ability to give informed consent.

UNICEF applauded the “legislative milestone” in a statement released on Monday, calling it “an vital step toward meeting children’s rights to protection from sexual assault, abuse, and exploitation.”