Chief Minister Raman Singh on Sunday slammed the Central Government for its decision to lower the age of consensual sex to 16 years, saying that it is felt by many that the decision is solely based on culture prevalent in Metro cities.
Demanding reconsideration of the issue, the Chief Minister warned that the decision would completely spoil the social fabric of India.
In his letter sent to the Prime Minister, Singh claimed that a number of delegations have called on him since the decision came to light, expressing their grave reservations about the results and after-effects of the decision.
“I write to you to convey the grave social concern among people from all walks of life in Chhattisgarh, about the recent decision of the Union Cabinet on the subject of the age of consensual sex with girls, I have been approached by a large number of delegations of parents, teachers and religious leaders, and civil society activists among others who feel that the said decision suffers from a lack of connect with social conditions in as much as it is a metro-centric perspective on sexuality among the young,” the text of letter which is released to media, read.
Singh, who is heading the BJP Government since December 2003, said in his letter, “I find that those in favour of age of consent at 18 years have been unsuccessful in persuading your Government that awareness of health hazards is at present low in rural areas; that prevalence of anaemia is widespread and poor
girls would suffer the most even if sex were to be consensual; that abortions and unwanted pregnancies may become rampant.”
The CM further added in the letter that since sex education is not well organised in schools, and because there is resistance to even introduction of sex education in schools in rural areas as well as in most urban areas, the risks relating to sexually transmitted diseases and HIV/AIDS could potentially multiply because of lack of awareness among youth at the relatively younger age of 16 years.
He stated that poor are typically under-nourished and, therefore, at greater risk, and for them consensual sex at 16 years of age is neither desirable physically nor psychologically as some medical experts have pointed to; or again that reducing age of consent could potentially encourage trafficking of girls.
The Union Cabinet had on Thursday cleared Criminal law (Amendment) Bill which lowers the age of consent for sex from 18 to 16 years and makes rape as a gender-specific offence under which men only can be charged for it.
The Chhattisgarh CM said people in his State were ‘amused’ over two further arguments — one, that false accusations of rape would be prevented, if age of consent is lower; and second, that sex and marriage should be looked upon differently.
“This thinking, which militates against our commonly understood notions of the sanctity of the institution of marriage, is distinctly disconnected from our larger society and seems to be the view point of a minority influenced by western values,” the Ayurvedic doctor-turned-politician Singh said in the letter.
He further said, “It was somewhat ironic that the debate, which started with the entire nation as one gearing up for more stringent legislation against the crime of rape, following the reprehensible incident on December 16, in our national capital, has now been reduced to a controversy on redefining the age of consensual sex.”