Pastor suggests raising age of consent

JAMAICA - Clergyman Kenroy Edwards believes it is time Jamaica changes the age at which an individual may give consent to sexual relations. Speaking on Tuesday the Freedom Evangelical Association pastor said that it is time a serious conversation is had on the matter.

Edwards is proposing that the age of consent be raised to at least 18 years, the age at which the law recognizes an individual as an adult. “We have it by law that the child is considered an adult at 18 years old. At 16 years, old, still in school, living with parents, you want the child to be responsible enough to partake in an activity that has certain risks to it. For example, the child might not be mentally ready, might not be physically ready, might not be emotionally ready, but you want that child to have the free will to act as an adult should, and when something goes wrong you put all the blame on the child. The blame should go on the system,” said Edwards.

The child is believed to be in a sexual relationship with a 50-year-old taxi driver after Edwards and her grandmother contacted the newspaper. The two had said that the police have been less than accommodating since they reported the matter.

The grandmother first suspected that there was an issue when the child began getting home late after school and was “spending large sums of money” while at school. Checks were made and it was revealed that the money was coming from the taxi driver, who operates in the Portmore area and who the child has reportedly visited on multiple occasions.

The Centre for the Investigation of Sexual Offences and Child Abuse (CISOCA) that it could not medically examine the child unless she confessed to being sexually active. However, an investigation would be conducted on the premise that the man was still attempting to contact the child and was, up to the time of the police report, still providing her with money.

(Jamaica Observer)