What is "age of consent"

Consent \Con*sent"\, n. [Cf. OF. consent.]

1. Agreement in opinion or sentiment; the being of one mind; accord.

   All with one consent began to make excuse.
   --Luke xiv. 18.

   They fell together all, as by consent.
   --Shak.

2. Correspondence in parts, qualities, or operations; agreement; harmony; coherence.

   The melodious consent of the birds.
   --Holland.

   Such is the world's great harmony that springs From union, order, full consent of things.
   --Pope.

3. Voluntary accordance with, or concurrence in, what is done or proposed by another; acquiescence; compliance; approval; permission.

   Thou wert possessed of David's throne By free consent of all.
   --Milton.

4. (Law) Capable, deliberate, and voluntary assent or agreement to, or concurrence in, some act or purpose, implying physical and mental power and free action.

5. (Physiol.) Sympathy. See Sympathy, 4.

   Syn: Assent; acquiescence; concurrence; agreement; approval; permission. See Assent.

   Age of consent (Law), an age, fixed by statute and varying in different jurisdictions, at which one is competent to give consent. Sexual intercourse with a female child under the age of consent is punishable as rape.

n. (context legal English) The age at which a person is legally considered to be mature enough to engage willingly in sexual intercourse, so that it is not a crime for someone else to have sex with the person.

n. the minimum age for marrying without parental consent or the minimum age for consensual sexual relations; intercourse at an earlier age can result in a charge of assault or statutory rape; the age differs in different states of the Union

The age of consent is the age at which a person is considered to be legally competent to consent to sexual acts, and is thus the minimum age of a person with whom another person is legally permitted to engage in sexual activity. The distinguishing aspect of the age of consent laws is that the person below the minimum age is regarded as the victim, and their sex partner as the offender.

The term age of consent rarely appears in legal statutes. Generally, a law will instead establish the age below which it is illegal to engage in sexual activity with that person. It has sometimes been used with other meanings, such as the age at which a person becomes competent to consent to marriage, but the meaning given above is the one now generally understood. It should not be confused with the age of majority, age of criminal responsibility, the voting age, the drinking age, the driving age, etc.

Age of consent laws vary widely from jurisdiction to jurisdiction, though most jurisdictions set the age of consent in the range 14 to 18. The laws may also vary by the type of sexual act, the gender of the participants, or other restrictions such as abuse of a position of trust; some jurisdictions may also make allowances for minors engaged in sexual acts with each other, rather than a single age. Charges resulting from a breach of these laws may range from a misdemeanor such as corruption of a minor, to what is popularly called statutory rape (which is considered equivalent to rape, both in severity and sentencing).

There are many "grey areas" in this area of law, some regarding unspecific and untried legislation, others brought about by debates regarding changing societal attitudes, and others due to conflicts between federal and state laws. These factors all make age of consent an often confusing subject, and a topic of highly charged debates.

Age of consent is the minimum age at which a person is considered to be legally competent to consent to sexual acts. Age of consent may also refer to:

"Age of Consent" is a song by New Order. It appears on their 1983 album Power, Corruption & Lies. A Howie B remix was produced in 1995 for the (the rest of) New Order compilation album.

The song has been played 208 times in concert by the band, making its live debut in 1982. It returned to live performances in 2011, following a 22-year absence from setlists, having last been played live in 1989.

Age of Consent (also known as Norman Lindsay's Age of Consent) is a 1969 Australian film which was the penultimate feature film directed by British director Michael Powell. The romantic comedy-drama stars James Mason (co-producer with Powell), Helen Mirren in her first major film role, and veteran Irish character actor Jack MacGowran; it features veteran actress Neva Carr Glyn. The screenplay by Peter Yeldham was adapted from the 1935 semi-autobiographical novel of the same name by Norman Lindsay, who died the year this film was released.

Age of Consent is the fourth full-length album by US heavy metal band Virgin Steele. The album took eight months to complete, a change from Noble Savage which was recorded in only a few weeks, and was finally released in October 1988. It received scarce promotion and distribution by their small label, resulting in very low sales. The songs of this album follow in style and content the music of the previous album Noble Savage, adding a more polished sound and production. At the time of release, the band faced legal and financial setbacks that brought to the unofficial disbandment of Virgin Steele. Joe O'Reilly, although credited for playing bass on the album, was ill at the time of recording and was ghosted by DeFeis and Pursino.

The album was reissued on CD in 1997 by Noise Records, with a new song listing, a new cover and many bonus tracks. In November 2011 Age of Consent was once again reissued by Steamhammer Records, a subsidiary of SPV, with the same track list as the 1997 release, but with an added bonus CD (named Under the Graveyard Moon) containing 7 additional tracks.