Law Commission to Come with Report Tomorrow on Age of Consent Under POCSO From 18 to 16

The Law Commission of India on Wednesday will finalise its report on whether the age of consent can be reduced to 16 from 18 under the POCSO Act.

However, the Law Commission is not in favour of reducing the age but it might carve out some exceptions in this regard, sources said.

There have been demands from a section of society to reduce the age of consent in the Prevention of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act, 2012, which was enacted to safeguard children from sexual abuse and sexual offences clearly defines a child as any person below the age of 18 years.

It has often come in conflict with the role of consent in determining the nature of relationships between adolescents.

Under the POCSO Act, if a person engages in sexual activity with a girl under 18 years of age, it will be deemed as rape even if it was with or without the girl’s consent.

Last year, the Government informed the Rajya Sabha has no plans to reduce the age of consent for consensual relationships.