Lowering age of consent to 16
Dr. Nishant Goyal of CIP also stressed that a 16-year-old lacks the mental and social maturity for sexual involvement.

Guwahati: A panel of doctors, psychologists, legal experts, and child rights activists firmly opposed the proposal to reduce the legal age of consent from 18 to 16 years during a roundtable discussion held in New Delhi on Thursday.

National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) member Priyank Kanoongo described the proposal as a โ€œtime bombโ€ that, if left unaddressed, could severely impact families and society.

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At the roundtable titled โ€˜Intrusion on Civilisation: Lowering the Age of Consent โ€“ Analysing its Impactโ€™, several medical professionals argued that 16-year-olds lack the neurological and psychological maturity to make informed decisions about sexual relationships. They warned that such decisions at a young age could lead to increased cases of teenage pregnancies and associated health risks.

Kanoongo, who delivered the keynote address, emphasized the vulnerability of adolescents. โ€œIโ€™ve worked with children for over a decade. Students aged 16 and 17 already face immense stress around academic exams, often leading to tragic suicides. In such a scenario, allowing them to enter sexual relationships legally is irresponsible,โ€ he said.

He also pointed out that many adolescents, especially those in classes 10 and 12, lack the emotional maturity to handle such relationships.

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โ€œFamilies are failing to communicate with children, and many students are falling into depression. Weโ€™re already losing young lives. Lowering the age of consent will only worsen the crisis,โ€ he warned.

Kanoongo further questioned the motives behind petitions seeking legal amendments. โ€œThose pushing for this change may have hidden agendas,โ€ he claimed, adding that such a shift could trigger a rise in teenage pregnancies, mental health issues, and suicidal tendencies among boys involved in strained relationships.

Senior advocate Indira Jaising, acting as amicus curiae in the Supreme Courtโ€™s Nipun Saxena vs Union of India case, has recently urged the court to revise the legal age of consent.

In her written submissions, Jaising argued that criminalising consensual sexual activity among adolescents aged 16โ€“18 violates their constitutional rights and disregards their emotional development.

She further maintained that the current laws unfairly penalise romantic relationships between teenagers under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act and Section 375 of the Indian Penal Code.

In contrast, participants at the roundtable asserted that Indiaโ€™s cultural and social realities differ significantly from those in the West and require a more cautious legal approach.

Psychologists and medical experts from institutions like the Institute of Human Behaviour and Allied Sciences (IHBAS) and Central Institute of Psychiatry (CIP), Ranchi, joined the discussion in person and online.

Dr. Nishant Goyal of CIP also stressed that a 16-year-old lacks the mental and social maturity for sexual involvement. He said, โ€œAllowing this would be a serious misstep.โ€

Organisers of the event released a report compiled by the Multidisciplinary Outreach Foundation and presented a declaration summarizing the discussion’s key points.

They circulated the document for endorsements from participants.

SGT University, Gurugram, hosted the event at the India Habitat Centre in partnership with the Network for Access to Justice and the Multidisciplinary Outreach Foundation.

The forum concluded by calling for a โ€œbalanced and culturally sensitiveโ€ approach to child protection laws, one that upholds both the safety and rights of adolescents without weakening existing legal safeguards.