We feel that a major goal in developing a new age of consent policy should be to work towards achieving a greater degree of inclusivity. Our definition of inclusivity in terms of the formation of a new policy is to include those who have historically been oppressed or excluded altogether from policy stipulations. Historically and with the current policy, individuals have been provided with differential protection and marginalized groups are still currently limited in terms of certain sexual freedoms due to discrimination on the basis of gender, sexual orientation, age, and more.
Ideally, building greater inclusivity through a new age of consent policy would mean that necessary protections are provided to children and young people, while at the same time establishing recognition for the rights of all individuals to make decisions about their own sexuality, and extending freedom to for all to engage in consensual sexual activity regardless of the gender of one’s partner or the specific form of sexual activity in which they choose to engage.
Thus, a more inclusive policy would provide the necessary level of protection for populations vulnerable to sexual exploitation, while simultaneously promoting fairness and equality for historically marginalized groups who have been (and are still presently) discriminated against under the age of consent policy and related laws.
- L.T.
1 comment:
I think that it is an assumption that the policy must be an age of consent.
Such is not necessary to avoid what you call sexual exploitation. Laws can, and do filter exploitative acts from mutually willing sensual contacts.
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