Pia lauds passage of bill raising the minimum age of sexual consent: it's high time we strengthen the law to end child rape

Senator Pia S. Cayetano on Monday welcomed the approval on third and final reading of Senate Bill No. 2332, which seeks to amend the Anti-Rape Law to raise the minimum age of sexual consent from the current 12 years old to 16.

"This amendment is long overdue. It's high time we strengthen the law to end child rape," said the senator, who is a co-sponsor of the measure.

At the same time, Cayetano lauded the inclusion of the so-called 'Romeo and Juliet' or 'close-in-age' clause in the approved bill, which will protect the rights of young people who get involved in consensual and non-abusive sexual relations.

"The Romeo and Juliet clause is integral to the bill." Quoting a statement from the Child Rights Network, the senator explained that the Romeo and Juliet clause "ensures that the law on statutory rape does not criminalize consensual and non-abusive sex between people close in age. This protects young people from being labeled as sex offenders" if they do have consensual sex with their peers. This position is also supported by the United Nations International Children's Emergency Fund (UNICEF) and backed by various civil society groups.