Senator Shenella Govia questioned the gap between the age at which a young person can legally consent to sex and the age at which other rights of adulthood begin, as she urged stronger protections for minors under the Sexual Offences Amendment Bill, 2026.

Govia said she supported provisions that would treat sexual intercourse between an adult and a young person under 18 as an offense in certain family and dependent relationships, even if the young person was above the general age of consent. She argued that the law should address inconsistencies between the ages for sexual consent, voting and driving.

“You can consent to sex, but you can’t drive; you can’t vote,” Govia said, calling for greater standardization of the ages at which young people acquire adult rights and responsibilities. She said she looked forward to legislation addressing those differences.

The bill would make sexual intercourse with a minor under 16 an offense regardless of whether the minor consented, Govia said. She also described a close-in-age provision that could apply when the accused was no more than three years older than the minor.

Govia said the legislation was intended to send a strong message to people who sexually abuse children. She spoke of the trauma caused when a child is harmed by a parent or other person entrusted with the child’s care, saying there could be no excuse for such abuse.

She also drew attention to provisions covering sexual intercourse by an adult with an adopted child, stepchild, foster child, godchild, ward or dependent. Govia said an adult convicted of such an offense could face life imprisonment.

The senator raised concerns about the vulnerability of minors who take temporary jobs during school holidays. She said some children sought work to help their families or gain independence, but described reports of employers using that vulnerability to sexually exploit them.

Govia urged parents and guardians to pay attention when children return from work and to take reports of abuse seriously. She recounted a case in which a child’s disclosure was not believed by adults until the child recorded a conversation, saying the experience illustrated the importance of listening to children.

She also recalled being a schoolgirl who traveled by bus and said young people could face unwanted attention while commuting. Govia described such conduct toward children as unacceptable and said adults should not use a child’s appearance or maturity as an excuse for inappropriate behavior.

Govia cited a town hall hosted by the Ministry of Social Transformation, referring to what she said was a large number of sexual abuse cases discussed there. She said even one child being abused was too many.

Her comments came as the Senate considered amendments aimed at strengthening protections for minors and increasing consequences for sexual offenses. The debate focused on the legal age of consent, abuse within families and dependent relationships, and the responsibility of adults to protect children.

This article was originally published by Antigua News Room. Read the original article here: Senator Govia calls for clearer age rules as Senate debates sexual offenses bill.