Until 1962, same-sex relations were illegal in Czechoslovakia. The Czechoslovak Criminal Code 140/1961, introduced that year, still criminalized «sexual intercourse with a person of the same sex» (art. 244), but covered only persons over the age of 18 who had had sexual intercourse with a person under the age of 18. Between adults, receiving or providing payment and public nuisance have been criminalized. In 1990, § 244 was completely repealed by Czechoslovak Act 175/2009 Sb of 01.07.2009. Article 155 provides that sexual intercourse with a person under the age of 16 committed by a person over the age of 18 is punishable. In addition, according to Article 152 (since January 2019), sexual intercourse with a person under the age of 14 (regardless of their voluntary consent) constitutes rape. The law no longer refers to the notion of «sexual maturity» that existed in the previous legal framework. [139] The age of consent in the Republic of Ireland is 17,[46] for vagina or sex and vagina or penetration. [47] This is the highest age of consent in the European Union, along with (Southern) Cyprus. [48] The first decriminalization of homosexuality in Serbia took place in the Socialist Autonomous Province of Vojvodina, while same-sex relations remained illegal in the rest of the Socialist Republic of Serbia, including the Socialist Autonomous Province of Kosovo.
In 1990, Vojvodina was reintegrated into the Serbian legal system and male homosexuality became a criminal offence again. Male homosexual acts were decriminalised under section 1 of the Sexual Offences Act 1967, although the age of consent for such acts was set at 21, while the age of consent for heterosexual acts was 16. However, this special legislation applied only in England and Wales. The age of consent is raised to 18 years in the case of deception or abuse of a recognized position of trust, authority or influence over the minor. Until 1961, homosexual acts were illegal. After decriminalization, the age of consent for homosexual acts was 20 and remained so until 1978. Until 1999, the age of consent to such acts was set at 18 years, in accordance with article 199. In 2002, the Hungarian Constitutional Court repealed Article 199 and the age of consent for homosexual acts was lowered to 14 for heterosexual acts. The former Poverenik, Mr. Rodoljub Šabić, has repeatedly highlighted the disadvantages of the law and stated that the existing legal framework in the field of personal data protection is far from adequate, especially in terms of comprehensiveness.
Male homosexuality was illegal under Article 175, regardless of age since 1872. Female homosexuality has not been prosecuted. In West Germany, male homosexuality was legalized in 1969. The age of consent was set at 21 and lowered to 18 in 1975. Only men over the age of 18 may be delinquents and the courts may refrain from punishing if the offender is not yet 21 years of age. In the GDR, the penal code was supplemented in 1957 by a provision that allowed prosecution to be waived if socialist society had not been harmed by the illegal act. With regard to article 175, this means that male homosexual acts are prosecuted only if they concern minors, i.e. persons under the age of 18.
The new Penal Code of 1968 officially legalized homosexuality and criminalized only homosexual acts committed by adults with minors in Article 151, which is now gender-neutral. In 1987, the GDR Supreme Court ruled that homosexuality, like heterosexuality, was a variant of sexual behavior. In 1989, section 151 was repealed and section 149 amended to include any sexual orientation. The age of consent was set at 11 in 1832 and 13 in 1863. In 1942, the age of consent for homosexual acts was set at 21, while it was 13 for heterosexual acts. The latter was increased to 15 in 1945. In 1974, the age of homosexual acts was lowered to 18. In 1982, it was lowered to 15, similar to that of heterosexual acts. The current age of consent regulations in Germany were established as a result of a reform of criminal law after reunification in 1994. The ages of 14 and 16 have been relevant to the German Reich since the entry into force of the Penal Code in 1872: according to Article 176, sexual acts with children under the age of 14 were illegal and always have been.
According to article 182, the seduction of an «impeccable girl under the age of 16» was prosecuted only on the complaint of parents or guardians. In West Germany, the latter rule was maintained, with minor changes in 1973: perfection was no longer required and the court could dispense with punishment if the offender was under 21. The GDR, on the other hand, created a new socialist penal code in 1968. Under article 149, sexual acts with persons of the opposite sex between the ages of 14 and 16 are punishable if the «moral immaturity» of the victim is exploited by «gifts, promises of affection or similar methods of persuasion» «to initiate sexual intercourse or acts analogous to sexual intercourse». Anyone who has sexual intercourse with a person under the age of 16 can be prosecuted (unless they are under 10 years old, the age of criminal responsibility). This means that consensual sex between consenting people of the same age (for example, a 16-year-old and a 15-year-old) can also lead to prosecution for committing a sexual offence. For this reason, guidelines have been established on how a person who has had sexual intercourse with a person under the age of 16 can be followed appropriately based on the age of a person under the age of 16 at the time of sexual intercourse. The Crown Prosecution Service generally has the discretion not to prosecute if the facts of the case do not warrant it, and the judge (or judges, as the case may be) has the discretion to impose lighter or harsher sentences up to the limits of the law if the facts warrant it.
It is rare for people aged 13 or older who voluntarily engage in sexual intercourse or sexual activity to be prosecuted as long as all those involved were of the same age and it was not about other issues such as violence, abuse or extortion. [ref. necessary] There is no age of consent in Pakistan. All sexual activity in Pakistan is illegal until marriage. The minimum age of marriage is 18 for men and 16 for women. In some cases, women are allowed to marry at the age of 14. Once two people are married, their age is no longer an issue and sex is legal. Consensual same-sex relations are criminalized in Pakistan. The Civil Code also addresses the age of consent at the prefectural level (and sometimes at the level of communes within a prefecture). In Japan, a person must reach the age of 20 to be considered an adult, and parental consent plays an important role in legal issues affecting young people.
The age of consent in Iceland is 15 years, as stipulated in Article 202 of the Icelandic Criminal Code, which states: «Anyone who engages in carnal sexual intercourse or other sexual intercourse with a child under the age of 15 shall be punished by imprisonment for a term of not less than 1 year and not more than 15 years.» [43] [44] The age of consent in Northern Ireland is 16, irrespective of sexual orientation or gender, as set out in the Sexual Offences (Northern Ireland) Order 2008. [155] The reason the 2008 Regulations lowered the age of consent from 17 to 16 was to bring it into line with the rest of the United Kingdom; Criminal Justice Minister Paul Goggins said there was no compelling reason for the age to be different in Northern Ireland than elsewhere. [156] Since 2015, the portal has been collecting dasezna.lgbt cases of hate crimes reported directly by the community, tracking each case with legal advice, psycho-emotional support, advocacy, and awareness-raising. In Sweden, the age of consent is 15 years, as stipulated in Chapter 6 (On Sexual Crimes) of the Swedish Penal Code.