Ages of consent in North America
The ages of consent for sexual activity vary by jurisdiction across North America. The age of consent in Canada is 16, all US states set their age limits between 16 and 18, while some Mexico states have an age of consent as low as 12. The age of consent is the age at or above which a person is considered to have the legal capacity to consent to sexual activity. Both partners must be of legal age to give consent, although exceptions may exist when both partners are within a certain number of years in age. Persons below the age of consent may not, by law, give consent, and sexual relations involving such persons may be punished by criminal sanctions similar to those for rape or sexual assault. Non-violent sexual contact with persons under the age of consent may be punished as “statutory rape” or a similar legal term. Historically, the age of consent applied to male-female relationships; homosexual relationships were often illegal in themselves regardless of the ages.
