France to set age of sexual consent at 15

PARIS (AP) — The French government is proposing a law that would say anyone under 15 cannot consent to sex, after widespread shock at two cases involving 11-yearold girls.

It would be the first such law in France, which currently does not have a rule saying a child under a certain age is considered incapable of consenting to sex.

The government's women’s affairs office said yesterday that it has decided to set the threshold at 15 in a bill to be presented to parliament later this month. Earlier, officials had discussed setting it at 13. French President Emmanuel Macron, among others, argued for it to be older.

In two recent legal cases, adult men were accused of having sex with 11-yearold girls who were considered consenting under French law.

In November, a 30-yearold man was cleared of rape after the court found that the victim had not been subjected to “constraint, threat, violence or surprise.”

In the other case, charges against a 28-year-old man, also accused of raping an 11-year-old girl, were downgraded to “sexual relations with a minor,” according to an

AFP report. Equality Minister Marlene Schiappa told the news agency that she was “very glad” that the age limit decided by the government was 15.

The law, once implemented, will criminalize any sexual activity with any minor younger than that age.

Lawmakers hope the proposal, which is part of a bill aimed at reducing sexual violence will be implemented in the coming weeks, AFP reports.

The new laws will be presented to the Council of Ministers — France’s equivalent of a Cabinet – later in March, according to reports.