Should the Age for Consensual Sex be 16 or 18 for the Girl Child?

The debate is already in the air and tongues are already waging about the girl child. At what age, should the girl child have consensual sex? Should it be brought down to 16 or retained at 18 years?

According to the new amendment bill that the parliament is expected to pass into law this week, the consensual age for sex is set to be reduced from 18 years to 16 years meaning that if passed, it will not be a criminal offence for a girl of 16 years of age to get pregnant.

Currently, the marriage Act provides 18 years as a legal age for a girl to get married. With the passing of the proposed bill that will set the consensual sex age at 16, means that a girl will be allowed to engage in sexual activities and even risk becoming pregnant but cannot get married until she attains the age of 18 provided in the Marriage Act.

According to some quarters, the bill is misplaced as it is set to take the society astray in terms of morals. They say that the bill is likely to increase unplanned pregnancies in among teenage girls as well as leading to an increase in early marriages.

“I don’t think if the Bill will change anything. In most villages in Kenya girls play sex as young as at the age of 12. Making it legal at the age of 16 is not going to help. The legal age should just remain at 18 and hold those who impregnate girls at a young age accountable,” said Miss Elizabeth Wekesa, a primary school teacher at Namunyiri Primary School.

“What the parliament should be thinking about right now is on how to provide reproductive related lessons for our children and not legalizing it. What these kids need is enlightenment of sex related issues and I think some should even be taught on protective sex,” said Pastor Henry Mulongo of PEFA Church.

Related: Gender Parity in Girl Child Education in Kenya Narrows