Protecting Our Children: New Law Helps Protect Minors From Sexual Abuse

A new bill raising the minimum age of sexual consent from 12 to 16 was just signed into law in the Philippines, helping to better protect children from rape and sexual assault. 

Previously, the Philippines had one of the world’s lowest minimum ages for sexual consent — a 2015 UNICEF study revealed that a staggering seven out of ten victims of rape in the Philippines were children. 

UNICEF praised the legislative milestone, calling it “an essential step towards fulfilling children’s rights to protection from sexual violence, abuse, and exploitation.”

Activists in the Philippines have been pushing to raise the age of sexual consent since the 1980s. Though it was a long time coming, proponents of the law are celebrating the new legislation that will better protect minors from rape and sexual abuse.