Age of Consent
The age of consent varies from country to country and state to state. In the U.S., it is defined as "the arbitrary age, assigned by legislators, that define the legal time at which a person may consent voluntarily to sexual activity with another person." This is a somewhat confusing definition, so instead it might help to think of age of consent in regards to statutory rape. For example, say you live in California where the age of consent is 18. This means that if you are over the age of 18 and you engage in "sexual activity" with a person under the age of 18, you have committed statutory rape. "Statutory rape" is a rather ugly term, and you may argue that the other person "was willing" and that you did not actually rape them. In truth, that doesn't matter, because according to the law, the person under 18 with whom you had "sexual activity" with was not old enough to voluntarily consent "to sexual activity with another person." Therefore, if both partners agree to the sexual acts, but one is under the legal age of consent, it is rape. Various areas have different punishments, so it is important to know exactly what the consequences are if you choose to break the law and have sex with someone who is underage. We urge you to know the age of consent within your region to avoid harming your partner or getting yourself in trouble.
For a table with ages of consent across the world, visit http://www.ageofconsent.com. This website has an up to date list of most countries and every state within the United States.