In some States, responsibility for initial investigations depends on the relationship between the victim and the accused. In North Carolina, the county Department of Social Services is generally responsible for the initial investigation of reported abuse. However, cases where it is alleged that abuse is committed by a person who is not responsible for the care of the victim must be immediately referred to the law enforcement agencies and the Public Prosecutor`s Office. Such provisions are common in States where the definition of child abuse does not include legal rape. Take Iowa, for example, where legal rape is only included in the definition of child abuse — and therefore a reportable crime — if the victim is under the age of 12. The Department of Social Services responsible for receiving and investigating reports of child abuse must refer all cases that would constitute child abuse to the appropriate law enforcement agency if the act was not committed by a person who is not responsible for the care of the child. In States where the definition of child abuse does not explicitly refer to legal rape, discrepancies between the legality of certain sexual activities and whether they are reportable crimes are more frequent. For example: 11 Sexual intercourse with a person under the age of 16 is legal in certain circumstances. However, sexual interference with anyone under the age of 15 is illegal, regardless of the age of the accused. These findings raised concerns among policymakers, healthcare providers, and advocates, leading to a study of alternatives to reduce compulsive sexual activity. Protecting youth from harm and providing vulnerable youth with the health care and other supports they need is paramount, while supporting service providers in their commitment to comply with government reporting obligations.
It is important to understand how HHS Fellows can fulfill these responsibilities as part of their organizational duties, which may include providing confidential services. And since 1984, when states began raising the legal drinking age from 18 to 21 in exchange for federal funding for highways — in some cases, as little as a decade after the cut — they couldn`t buy beer at a bar in most of the U.S., a restriction that has infuriated students ever since. In England, Wales and Northern Ireland, a minor is a person under the age of 18; [9] In Scotland, this age is 16. [10] The age of criminal responsibility is 10 years in England, Wales and Northern Ireland; and 12 years in Scotland, formerly 8 years, which was the lowest age in Europe. [11] [12] [13] In Australia, the court ruled that a person whose birthday is February 29 will legally grow up on March 1, but not on February 28. [12] Sexual acts with persons who are at least 16 years of age are illegal only if the accused is 30 years of age or older. 10 In some cases, a state`s laws on sexual intercourse do not coincide with one or more of its laws on other types of sexual acts. For example, in South Dakota, sexual penetration with a person between the ages of 10 and 16 is illegal unless the defendant is less than 3 years older than the victim. However, sexual interference with a person under the age of 16 is unlawful regardless of the age of the defendant (in State v. Darby, 556 N.W.2d 311, 127 (SD 1996), the South Dakota Supreme Court held that these two offences could be mutually exclusive). These cases are identified in the corresponding situation summaries. The term « lawful rape » appears in this document; However, few states have laws that specifically use this term.
More commonly, a state`s law will include a number of offenses that include age-specific provisions relating to voluntary sexual acts and the age at which a person can lawfully consent to such acts. For the purposes of this overview, « legal rape » refers to sexual acts that would be legal if at least one of the parties were not elderly. The summaries of individual States in section III of the report refer to specific offences that constitute lawful rape. The term « minor » is not clearly defined in most jurisdictions. The age of criminal responsibility and consent, the age at which school attendance is no longer compulsory, the age at which legally binding contracts can be concluded, etc. may vary. Most often, however, all acts are illegal (with the same age requirements), but the severity of the penalty differs depending on the type of sexual activity. In Kentucky, for example, sexual activity with children under the age of 12 is illegal, regardless of the age of the accused. If the activities involve sexual contact, the accused is guilty of first-degree sexual assault (Class D felony); if it is sexual intercourse, the accused is guilty of first-degree rape (a Class A felony). In some states, a child who is pregnant or infected with a sexually transmitted disease is sufficient to establish a reasonable suspicion of abuse, so a report is required.