Reducing the age of consent to 16 in India

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I had recently came across a video by bestseller author Ravinder Singh where he spoke about reducing the age to 16 for youth. To watch that video, click here. Do watch the video before reading the blogpost, as to understand the references.

I do agree with what he has said in his video. Though I have some additions of my own too on that perspective.

Often, when teenagers (13-19, though gonna focus only on 14-17 here in this blogpost) enter into relationships, which is getting a lot common this days, they do indulge in romance (even if its not anything sexual). But those who do, and it comes in light to any of the families, be it only about relationship or something more, most often, their phones are taken away and they are made to split up without choice of their own. This also causes defamation to girl, either by her family themselves or the society, cause the respect of family lies with her🙂 (boys have no role in upholding family respect, it seems by this most-spoken misogynist statement).

Even cases happens where girl consensually entered a relationship and is happy and safe. But if her relationship comes to be known in her family, girl's family files a false case on boy with no fault of his to split them up (yes, cases like this do happen to "save a girl's and her family respect"), thinking he is the wrong influence on her. Something that he would have to live with his whole life. Just something very similar Ravinder mentioned of Allahabad case in his video.

Even if any decision was taken in sound mind and consent was given, and if the event comes to light, her consent is given no importance and validation whatsoever if she was below 18, even in court.

With what the author has said, such cases only makes the court slow and the boy's and his whole family's reputation come at stake for nothing wrong. If such cases are removed, where the girl had given her informed consent in sound mind and consciousness, court can get time to give to genuine rape and assault cases.

But before we bring down the age of consent to 16, there's much more we need to do so that the law isn't misused or there aren't much draw backs.

And to say, this is not only to save girls, but boys and other genders too. Be it saving them from false accusation, defamation or their informed consent not taken seriously.

And what that is, is bringing mandatory age-appropriate sex education in Indian schools and colleges, which is factual, inclusive and judgement-free. And by sex education, I dont mean only reproduction and contraception, but anatomy, pleasure, relationships, LGBTQIA+ community, abortions, reproductive system related illnesses, etc. To read more about it, which I have written in my another blogpost, click here. Both parents and school should be giving children age-appropriate sex and relationship education, so that kids are not under any wrong influence (they will search it up if you dont tell them right info, and sometimes they can land on problematic sites too to know about what they wanna know). Parents should be educating themselves about something before telling their kids so no wrong or incomplete information is passed. Same goes with teachers to giving right information to their students.

Things like consent, safe and u safe touch, and boundaries should be teached regularly, from a very young age, so that it gets ingrained in mind as something very fundamental. Just like how "mitochondria is the power house of the cell" has been ingrained in our minds, something we will never forget 😅.

In conclusion, before we reduce the age of consent to 16, we must introduce sex and relationship education in our homes and schools & colleges for the law to work without much misuse or drawbacks. Else it will turn into a disaster.