Spain reforms to raise the age of consent

Spanish Health and Social Affairs minister Ana Mato has announced that Spain will raise the minimum age for marriage to 16 from 14 as part of a wider reform to improve health and safety for children and adolescents.

Spain has up to now been one of Europe’s most permissive countries regarding teenage matrimony. The age for consensual sex was the lowest in Europe at only 13 years of age. The new age will be decided by Parliament.

However, regarding the sexual consent law, if deceit is used in gaining the consent of a minor under 16, an individual can be charged with up to two years in prison.

The move is part of an ambitious plan headed by Mato to overhaul Spanish laws involving infants and teenagers, reported ABC newspaper on Friday.

Two years ago France raised the legal marriage age to 18, the highest in Europe together with Malta and Turkey.