GEORGETOWN, Guyana, Tues. June 8: Less than a week after rights activists denounced the country?s laws that allow a 12 year old to consent to sex, Guyana?s Minister of Labor, Human Services and Social Security, Bibi Shaddick, said the government is actively pursuing measures to have the age of consent raised.
According to the Minister, the legislation is currently being drafted and will be tabled in the National Assembly soon.The public outrage began after a 37-year-old businessman, Reeaz Khan, applied for permission to marry a 13-year-old girl. Current laws in the South American country allow a child as young as 12 to consent to sex but the minimum age for marriage is 14 and the consent of the guardian is required if the child is under 18.
Over the weekend, President Bharrat Jagdeo also renewed government's commitment to raising the age of consent during a visit to Trinidad.
Meanwhile, the country?s Minister of Health, Dr. Leslie Ramsammy, added his own support for raising the age of consent, saying yesterdat that age 13 is not an appropriate age for any child to be engaged in sexual activities. He added. However, that a medical and scientific approach should be taken, instead of a cultural and moral position.
