Sex And The Law Wikipedia
...laws.
In general the law proscribes acts which are considered either sexual abuse, or inappropriate behavior against the social norms, within a given culture. In addition certain categories of activity, may be considered crimes even if freely consented to. Thus sex and the law varies from place to place.
Sexual acts which are prohibited by law in a jurisdiction, are also called sex crimes.
Contents
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* 1 Age of consent
* 2 Sex crimes
o 2.1 Common sex crimes
o 2.2 Acts which may be regarded as crimes in some areas
* 3 See also
* 4 External links
[edit] Age of consent
Main article: Age of consent
Many cultures, and all developed cultures, have established an age of consent, an age at which even if consent is given, sexual activity by an older person with a person under that age will be punished severely. The aim of an age of consent law is to protect impressionable young people, as they develop and mature.
[edit] Sex crimes
Sex crimes are forms of human sexual behavior that are crimes. Someone who commits one is said to be a sex offender. Some sex crimes are crimes of violence that involve sex. Others are violations of social taboos, such as incest, indecent exposure or exhibitionism. There is much variation among cultures as to what is considered a crime or not, and in what ways or to what extent crimes are punished.
Western cultures are often far more tolerant of acts, such as oral sex or cross-dressing, that have traditionally been held to be crimes in some other cultures, but combine this with lesser tolerance for the remaining crimes. By contrast, many cultures with a strong religious tradition consider a far broader range of activities to be serious crimes.
As a general rule, the law in many countries often intervenes in sexual activity involving young or adolescent children...
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