The Minister for Public Health announced that the minimum legal age for consensual sex is to be raised from 13. Spain had the lowest such limit in the whole of Europe.

The obsolete nature of the existing law was highlighted several months ago when a man in his 40’s murdered his 13-year-old ‘girlfriend.’ The parents had reported the illogical relationship to the Guardia Civil but they had responded that they could do nothing because the man was not doing anything ‘illegal.’

The Minister, Ana Mato, announced that the limit would be raised to bring it into line with the rest of Spain’s European neighbours, many of whom have 15 as the minimum. Six have 16 as the limit, amongst them, Germany, which also stipulated that a male partner cannot be over 21 if he is to avoid prosecution.

Also to be changed is the minimum age for marriage, which stands at 18 and 16 with parental consent, if they are emancipated. However whereas a child can marry at 14 if he/she still lives in the parental home with parental permission, this will be raised to the 16 threshold.

The great contradiction persists, which is that a person is considered mature enough to marry and have children at 16 but not be mature enough to drink alcohol until they are 18.

(News: Spain)