tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3184990032979540229.post5793311703373148356..comments2023-10-25T09:49:43.089+01:00Comments on BEN'S PRISON BLOG - Lifer On The Loose: Defining Childrenprisonerbenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14923205052778958118noreply@blogger.comBlogger2125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3184990032979540229.post-78497661297568436962010-03-19T19:36:14.792+00:002010-03-19T19:36:14.792+00:00Agree Ben - it is somewhat stupid as are several p...Agree Ben - it is somewhat stupid as are several parts of the Act referred to.<br /><br />It has also developed that the word paedophile is used inappropriately for people who abuse children.<br /><br />It does seem crazy that at 16 a young person can make a decision to get married which is an incredibly responsible decision to make and yet cannot do the things mentioned by Ben.<br /><br />Heaven help us!<br /><br />Best wishes BenJonoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3184990032979540229.post-76340791264519806912010-03-19T14:13:37.314+00:002010-03-19T14:13:37.314+00:00The problem is that it's not coherent and cons...The problem is that it's not coherent and consistent: biologically, for reproductive purposes, you're an adult at puberty. Mentally, when you become old enough to make your own decisions depends on a lot of really unpredictable stuff. I know fourteen year old girls who I would definitely trust to make their own decisions about their sex life. I also know fifteen year old girls who, if they had any kind of sexual contact, I would consider to have been abused pretty much regardless of the circumstances. In one case because the person is too sheltered and innocent to know what sex actually is, much less consent to it (I know it sounds strange, but trust me, it's true.) In another because I know the girl in question is too easily pushed around and too afraid to deny people what they want to say no, even though I can't imagine her having sex right now willingly. No matter where you put the age of consent, there are going to be people who could and couldn't consent on both sides of the line. I agree that it's ridiculous to have seventeen-year-olds having a bunch of adult responsibilities while at the same time still having a child's limited rights. At the same time, you can't really build a legal system on "understand the individual maturity level of the people involved, and decide pased on that."<br /><br />So where do we draw the line?Kornoreply@blogger.com