New Law Will Raise the Age of Sexual Consent – and Better Protect Children

The Filipino government is taking the appropriate steps to raise the age of consent in the Philippines from 12 to 16, in a drive to protect children and deter sexual predators.

“This is a victory for Filipino children,” says Patrizia Benvenuti, UNICEF’s chief of child protection in the Philippines. The proposed legislation is to be approved by the Senate before being sent for President Rodrigo Duerte to sign it into law.

Activists welcome the decision as the country is a hot spot for online child sex abuse, and where more than 500 teenagers get pregnant and give birth every day. With this bill, bedding an underaged child would become automatically illegal and would carry a penalty of life imprisonment. As for young couples who are close in age, they wouldn’t be suggested to such a punishment.