New Delhi, March 14: Jamaat-e-Islami Hind has strongly opposed the central government’s move to lower the age limit of consensual sex from 18 to 16 years. While consensual sex outside marriage is itself a big social evil, lowering the age limit for consensual sex will further jeopardize the social and family structure in a religious country like India.

A group of ministers, headed by Finance Minister P Chidambaram, has yesterday decided that the age of consent will be lowered from 18 to 16 years. The central government had formed the group to finalize the upcoming anti-rape law.

Reacting over the development, Mr. Nusrat Ali, General Secretary of Jamaat-e-Islami Hind today opposed the decision of the group of ministers. He said this provision will lead to sexual anarchy in the country as schoolgoing children aged 16 and above will get involved in sexual activities.

“We are of the view that sex, consensual or forced, outside marriage should be a crime. It must be a punishable offense irrespective of the age limit. As for lowering the age limit for consensual sex, this will lead to an unimaginable socially corrupt situation in the society. Not only this, this provision will increase in crimes rather than controlling it as the government wishes,” said Mr. Ali.

“We demand the government to first withdraw its move to lower the age limit of consensual sex. We demand that consensual sex outside marriage too be declared a cognizable offence,” he demanded.