Age of Consent

[DallasSteve2]

I believe there has been some mention of the fact that Batman had a 17 year old girlfriend in Colombia.  It was brought up again on CaliGringo.com and one poster said he thinks the age of consent is 17 in Colombia.

Pop quiz: What is the age of consent in Colombia?

Mark you answers, and no fair reading ahead.

I decided to do a little research.  Now where do you suppose I could find a website that lists age of consent? How about www.ageofconsent.com?

And according to them in Texas the age of consent is 17. It varies from 16 to 18 for most US states. For Colombia...

wait, if you have a weak constitution don't read any further... (is it further or farther?)

The age of consent in Colombia is 14, except if you're a woman...

please don't read any further...

I'm serious, go back....

OK, I warned you.  The age of consent for women, (no, I should say girls) in Colombia is...

12.

Yep, 12.

One caveat, don't trust a website for this information if you're actually planning to test that envelope.  You'd better learn Spanish and head to a Colombian law library.  It might be 17.  Or 21 for all I know.  You really don't want to know what the inside of a Colombian jail looks like.

Steve

PS:  My wife started living with the father of her children when she was 14.  I was shocked.  It appears she was a late-starter.

[Cali vet]

... in response to Age of Consent, posted by DallasSteve2 on Jan 3, 2004

Actually I've seen the inside of the jails in Tulua and  Buga (not as an inmate I'll quickly add). They're not so bad. The Buga jail is a little better. The good thing is they keep the paras on one side and the FARC on the other otherwise there'd probobly be daily homicides. My friend inside had a sixteen year old "conjugal" visitor on occaision (girls can visit on Sundays) so I guess that's a legal age. The carcel in Tulua had a big narco inmate for a while. He built his own special residence next to a walled in field where he rode his horse. The structure even had sleeping rooms for his two bodyguards armed with shotguns...all of this INSIDE the jail! Ah Colombia.

[Locii]

... in response to Age of Consent, posted by DallasSteve2 on Jan 3, 2004

I believe Honduras is 13 or 14 with parental consent.  Lets face it most of the world works this way.  Mostly the modernized western countries have given a unique status to the 13-21 year olds with some kinds of diminished status and rights.  Whether it is sexual, employment related, or draft related.  

It never ceases to amaze me that the ACLU seems content with the concept that most states have a drinking age that is above 18, where you are required to enter the Selective Service.  So when I was 18 I was old enough to kill and die, but no drinky.  Whatever.  Oh, but I could buy a gun, too.  Seems like clear cut age discrimination to me.

Ages of sexual consent are no different.  The 3rd world tends to be more 'realistic' as it were, than America and much of the west (which is not to say they don't have problems).  We are very confused and give off mixed signals; the result being that the Britney Spears types get famous merely for being half naked teenagers.

When I made reference to Batman's young novia, I was trying to point out he was making a big mistake being public about it, since, as has been said here, if some party were motivated, he  might catch hell for it.  Again, I was not moralizing.

I live in FL, where age of consent is silly and backwardian.  The upshot being its 17, unless your are within (3?) years of age, then its 14?   Something like that.  The upshot is, for some reason its preferable for your 15yo daughter to be intimate with some 18yo, but a 21yo, or 35yo, oh my gosh thats a crime.

Ciao

[Cali James]

... in response to Re: Age of Consent, posted by Locii on Jan 4, 2004

You're giving me the impression you see nothing wrong with guys 30 and 40 years old having sexual relations with teenagers 14, 15, and 16 years old.  It strikes me as a bit sick personally and I hope anyone who takes advantage of such a young girl get thrown in jail.

[Locii]

... in response to Age of Consent, posted by Cali James on Jan 4, 2004

Who cares what I think; everyone continually comes back to morals on this board.  

The impression I MEANT to give you was that its commonplace all over the world.  The 30-40-50 yo successful man has his nut and wants a family.  Where do you think he goes looking?  Latineuro?  Ha.  I made myself laugh.

Now that you have called me sick, I guess I don't have to worry about offending you and suggest you educate yourself about family matters of the world somewhere other than Good Morning America.  Further, please go back in american history 50 years ago or more to see loads of 14+ yo girls married off to all ages of (successful) men.

Ciao

[mar33]

... in response to Re: Age of Consent, posted by Locii on Jan 4, 2004

Sure,
 There are always young girls marrying older men all over the world. Usually made to do it by greedy parents,not because the girl wants it. A girl or boy that age is really not ready for any type of relationship.

  As I travel more,I think it is such a shame there are so many teen mothers in 3rd world countries. Many left by older men to raise this child alone. Most of these girls are not educated as they have to leave school to take care of their kids. That leave a cycle of illiteracy and poverty which can really never stop unless the grown men chasing these girls are also willing to take on responsibility.

   If I had a14 year old daughter,and some 20 or 30 something year old guy came chasing after her, Lord help him. There is no excuse for a man to chase girls that young, other than the fact he is extremely immature and he needs to control a young woman who in her teen years will be more insecure and impressionable than any other time in her life.

  Mark

[DallasSteve2]

... in response to Re: Re: Age of Consent, posted by mar33 on Jan 4, 2004

Mark

I'm not arguing that we should lower the age of consent.  Right now I have a 13 year old stepdaughter and if she gets pregnant by some guy, young or old, it's probably going to cost yours truly some hard cash even though it wouldn't be my fault.

But I take exception with the statement: "There is no excuse for a man to chase girls that young, other than the fact he is extremely immature and he needs to control a young woman who in her teen years will be more insecure and impressionable than any other time in her life."

If control was the only reason men were chasing underage girls, then little old ladies with Alzheimers would be very popular, too.  I don't have to tell anybody here the main reason why some men are motivated to chase young girls.

Steve

[burbuja2]

... in response to Re: Re: Age of Consent, posted by mar33 on Jan 4, 2004

At the risk of raising a firestorm, I think the Catholic Church plays a large role in the cycle that Mar33 refers to.  I can tell you that it is EXTREMELY rare to find a lower class female in El Salvador over the age of 20 who is childless.  As Mar correctly implies, whatever small chance that young girl may have had in life is destroyed since Pedro is long gone and she needs to work to support the child.  And guess where she can find work?  Either at a maquila where she earns $5.00 per day (reduced by bus money) or to work in the adult entertainment field.  With an illegitimacy rate of over 70%, you would think that the government would have plenty of sex education and family planning programs.  Instead, the Catholic Church has pressured the government not to implement those programs.  Probably a majority of people there will unconditionally accept any official Church position.  Rather, the official response and "solution" is to continue to teach abstinence.  Of course, all latin countries are vociferous in their efforts to promote emigration so that they can simply export the problem.  In El Salvador, there is even a monument in honor of these heroic individuals who are called hermanos lejanos (faraway brothers). The Church, ever quick to recognize priorities, did see fit to get involved over a controversy to close 3 small casinos in San Salvador.  Meanwhile, a significant portion of the population there is malnourished.

[NW Jim]

... in response to While Were on the Subject of Moralizing, posted by burbuja2 on Jan 4, 2004

There was a time when Catholics were afraid of hell, but the skyrocketing rates of illegitimacy in Central/South America and even starting to show up in the PI indicates that this is no longer true.

The rise in illegitimacy is probably due to urbanization (anonymity), less influence of the Catholic church, fewer fathers in the home (in part due to emigration)-- creating an ever worsening spiral of illegitimacy, and a media culture that is sex saturated. It also helps explain the increased crime in these countries due to young males not having "guidance" from fathers.

From the lower class girl's perspective why wait?, she's young healthy and wants to be treated like an adult. If she waits till age 25 is an educated man, in a class conscious society, going to come along and propose marriage? If she had contraceptives would she use them?--probably not given the culture of poverty mentioned above.

While honoring the hermanos lejanos, I'm sure the church is more than happy to get part of their remesas, No?

[mar33]

... in response to While Were on the Subject of Moralizing, posted by burbuja2 on Jan 4, 2004

I don't know if the Catholic church is  the only one to blame. As you said, it is the lower class girls who seem to be in that predicament. Many probably do not have a father at home to lay down the law, or to be raised with more confidence.
 I know of 3 girls in my Junior High who got pregnant at 12 and 13.( All of the guys were much older. 1 girl was even involved with a 31 year old,and that happened in the U.S. We had sex-ed by then,and knew about condoms, so I do not think it made much of a difference.
  What does seem to be a common denominator was none of these girls had fathers at home, or ones involved in their lives.
  That seems to be a big issue when you look around at a lot of these countries where the very young girls are getting pregnant. Many of the younger girls are really out seeking male attention and will do anything to get it.It is unfortunate the fathers are not realizing how important it is to be there to raise your kids and give them a sense of worth.
      Mark

[NightRaven]

... in response to Age of Consent, posted by DallasSteve2 on Jan 3, 2004

Perhaps it has changed (I doubt that) but someone I once worked with found out the hard way. The fact that she picked you up in a bar (that does card at the door) and was served when buying you drinks etc. is NOT considered to be evidence that she is "of age". Apparently even if he would have asked for ID he'd have been hosed because it was faked. Personally I always thought he needed a much better lawyer and or a press agent. Never use a low quality lawyer esp when the court seems to like the idea of making an example of you. Oh for what it's worth this was a little over 10 years ago. In the USA. Take a wild guess as to the occupation of one of the owners/silent majority partner of said bar...go ahead guess..."Judge" funny how the press missed that for sooo long.

[Nathan]

... in response to Age of Consent, posted by DallasSteve2 on Jan 3, 2004

Yes,  you had better know for sure before taking a girlfriend ANYWHERE. I know of a case in the Philippines where
a guy took a 17 year old girlfriend where the age of consent
is 18, and the family owned his rear...he finally got tired of
that and told them to go stick it...they went to the Police and filed charges...he ended up in a mess.

My $.02 worth...

[Cali James]

... in response to Age of Consent, posted by DallasSteve2 on Jan 3, 2004

[This message has been edited by Cali James]


I remember having a discussion with my wife who is a lawyer about age of consent in Colombia.  She had mentioned 14 if there was mutual consent and the females parents were OK with the situation.  She thought an action could be taken by a females parents up to the girls 18th birthday but probably unlikely after 16.

I'm also thinking that an American man having sex with a woman under 18 may be considered illegal even if it occurs overseas.  I recall some executive from a silicon valley company was prosecuted for having a 16 year old fiancee from Thailand or Vietnam.

[NW Jim]

... in response to Age of Consent, posted by Cali James on Jan 3, 2004

According to a Sept 2003 article in Seattle PI:
Traveling overseas to have sex with minors has always been a crime, however the "Protect Act of 2003" amended federal statutes to make it easier to file charges in those cases.

[NightRaven]

... in response to Re: Age of Consent & Prosecution, posted by NW Jim on Jan 3, 2004

I read something in a realestate sites web links (sight was about RE in LA, with economic data, crime rates, link to CIA world book etc.) that Costa Rica was supposedly working out some deal with the US to prosecute AM who where hitting Costa Rica for 14 yr old hookers. That was about, a year and a half ago, I think, can't remember the date on the article or the source claimed, been too long.

"Traveling overseas to have sex with minors has always been a crime"
Might be interesting to find the source data for that article just to see how long that has been a US law. I doubt it was a problem in say 1800's or say 1910, or so.