The Children’s Commissioner for England said last week that underage sex involving teenagers and adults should not be reported to the authorities.
The comments come at a time when states in the United States are turning their attention to prosecuting abortions done on young teens who are victims of statutory rape.
Prof Sir Albert Aynsley-Green said nurses, teachers and youth workers must follow government guidelines published last April which state that while there is a “presumption” that information is passed on to social workers or police, decisions should be made using individual discretion on a case by case basis.
But Norman Wells of the Family Education Trust said that trumpeted the importance of parents and held them responsible for their children’s behavior.
He said the commissioner is “effectively saying that children have a right to a private sex life and are treating with contempt the protection given by the age of consent.”
He added, “Confidentiality policies drive a wedge between parents and their children and expose young people to risk of abuse and disease.”
[19Mar07, London, England (LifeNews.com]