Protecting children is our obligation
When will politicians in Ottawa care more about protecting children and less about their political futures?
Prime Minister Stephen Harper's decision to end the Parliamentary session in September meant the Age of Protection Act or Bill C-22—which would have raised the age of sexual consent from age 14 to 16—died before it was passed. All unfinished Parliamentary business dies on the Order Paper when a session comes to an end. The legislation may not see the light of day again.
Irresponsible behaviour on the government's part? Try reprehensible.
Governments rightfully put in place laws that govern behaviour because private actions have social consequences. We don't allow husbands to beat their wives or parents to abuse their kids behind closed doors because society (through governments) has a duty to protect the vulnerable and the innocent.
Bill C-22 would have raised the age of consent to 16, with a close-in-age exception of five years regarding consensual intercourse with 14 and 15-year-olds. No one over the age of 19 or 20 would be allowed to have sex with teenagers. There already exists a prohibition against sexual activity with youths under 18 over which one holds a position of trust or authority.
The current law, which implies that an adult can have consensual sex with a 14-year-old without fear of prosecution, is out of step with the international norm which is at least 16 years-of-age. It is also inconsistent with Canada's legal definition of "child" and the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child.
As I've debated this with colleagues on Parliament Hill, I have become disgusted that the issue of our children's vulnerability to child prostitution, pornography and abuse—all made a lot easier under the current law—is seen as a political plaything.
Furthermore, too many are suggesting that the proposal is an attack on youth rights and sexual freedom.
Let's put this right on the table: I have a 15-year-old daughter and it's my job as a dad to watch over her like the protective hawk that I am. Encouraging her and her friends to engage in sexual behaviour, while we as parents struggle to teach her the value of waiting, is not only destructive, it is stupid and dangerous. But that's what the current law does.
Today's kids are far more aware of the world around them than we dinosaurs who grew up without iPods, Facebook and the Internet. But awareness doesn't bring wisdom.
A child of 14 is far too young to understand the emotional and physical consequences of sex. Physical damage, pregnancy, an increased risk of cervical cancer in women, sexually transmitted disease and long-term psychological damage are dangers young people can't get their heads around; when you're 14 you're invincible.
Statistics Canada reported in 2003 that 28 percent of 15 to 17-year-olds have had sex at least once, as have about 80 per cent of those between 20 and 24. Furthermore, 15- to 24-year-olds who started having sex when they were 13 were likely to have had two or more partners in the previous year, and were twice as likely to have contracted a sexually transmitted infection as those who became sexually active later.
The bottom line is that protecting children from adults—or even older teens—before they have reached an appropriate level of maturity isn't an option; it's an obligation for governments and parents alike.
It is incredible that we tell kids they can't purchase cigarettes or alcohol, drive a car or vote at 14, but they can choose to have sex.
With the widespread presence of sexual predators on the Internet you'd think that beefing up the age of consent law would be a no-brainer.
To its credit, the current Parliament passed Bill C-22, before it died on the Order Paper. But the federal government finished only half the job. The real concern for Canadians should be that the legislation will get lost in the jockeying for position among the political parties looking at a possible federal election in the near future.
Protecting the vulnerable, including children, is an unshakeable obligation for every Christian. When it comes to protecting our children from the sexual vultures of this society, Christians have no choice but to stand up from every pew and pulpit to be counted.
A generation at risk depends on it.
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