Know the context.
Understand the boundaries.
Legal references on consent, personal rights and the differences between jurisdictions.
Explore the subjects ↓Law & Rights
The subjects below define this collection.
Published guides are listed below; other subjects remain in development.
Browse by country
Canada: age of consent, exceptions and protections ↗
United Kingdom: three legal systems, one general age ↗
France: the 15-year threshold and its limits ↗
Germany: what 14, 16 and 18 mean ↗
Spain: the 16-year rule and close-in-age exception ↗
Italy: the general rule and added protections ↗
Netherlands: European and Caribbean frameworks ↗
Belgium: current code, teen exceptions and protections ↗
Switzerland: the three-year rule and added protections ↗
Austria: two close-age exceptions and under-18 protection ↗
Portugal: age 14, inexperience and under-18 protections ↗
Ireland: age 17, strict peer defence and authority protection ↗
Denmark: age 15 and separate territorial frameworks ↗
Sweden: age 15, peer exception and under-18 protection ↗
Norway: age 16, peer cases and the consent reform ↗
Finland: age 16, the peer exception and under-18 protection ↗
Iceland: age 15, peer cases and separate image rules ↗
Poland: age 15, peer cases and separate image rules ↗
Czechia: age 15, the 2025 reform and separate image rules ↗
Slovakia: age 15, peer responsibility and protection under 18 ↗
Hungary: age 14, the under-12 rule and protection under 18 ↗
Bulgaria: age 16 and the 2026 law changes ↗
Greece: age 15, the peer paragraph and protection under 18 ↗
Croatia: age 15 and the three-year contact exception ↗
Slovenia: age 15, comparable age and maturity ↗
Estonia: age 16 and the five-year contact exception ↗
Latvia: age 16, adult condition and under-14 protection ↗
Lithuania: age 16 and the age-and-maturity exception ↗
Luxembourg: age 16 and the four-year exception ↗
Malta: age 16 and peer sentencing rules ↗
Cyprus: age 17, peer rules and territorial differences ↗
Albania: age 14 and the 2026 reform ↗
Montenegro: age 14 and the maturity exception ↗
Serbia: age 14 and the maturity exception ↗
North Macedonia: age 15 after the 2023 reform ↗
Bosnia and Herzegovina: age 15 and three local frameworks ↗
Moldova: age 16, peer exceptions and the 2026 reform ↗
Belarus: age 16, adult-offender elements and the marriage clause ↗
Russia: age 16, peer sentencing rules and the marriage clause ↗
Andorra: current rules and the December 2026 change ↗
Liechtenstein: age 14, the inclusive three-year exception and image rules ↗
San Marino: age 14, authority and separate image laws ↗
Monaco: age 15, the five-year penalty rule and image laws ↗
Turkey: ages 15 and 18, complaint conditions and image protections ↗
Vatican City / Holy See: state offences and separate canon law ↗
Georgia: the under-16 rule, adult-offender condition and image laws ↗
Armenia: age 16, adult-offender rules and online protection ↗
Azerbaijan: age 16, the two-year condition and image laws ↗
Kazakhstan: age 16, peer cases and under-18 protection ↗
Kyrgyzstan: under 16, adult offenders and protection under 18 ↗
Uzbekistan: age 16, peer cases and under-18 protections ↗
Consent & age frameworks
Canada: age thresholds and exceptions ↗
UK: age, trust and peer-case rules ↗
France: age, the five-year condition and consent ↗
Germany: age thresholds and additional protections ↗
Spain: age, maturity and free consent ↗
Italy: age, minor peer cases and trust protections ↗
Netherlands: peer equality and separate jurisdictions ↗
Belgium: teen exceptions and the constitutional ruling ↗
Switzerland: age, dependence and private-image exceptions ↗
Austria: age, harmful circumstances and authority ↗
Portugal: separate age, exploitation and image rules ↗
Ireland: peer-defence conditions and separate image rules ↗
Denmark: youth prosecution waivers and under-18 safeguards ↗
Sweden: no fixed peer gap and separate image provisions ↗
Norway: punishment waivers and a separate image peer rule ↗
Finland: age and maturity, authority and separate image rules ↗
Iceland: punishment provisions and two distinct image exceptions ↗
Poland: juvenile responsibility, trust and image protections ↗
Czechia: helplessness, peer cases and under-18 protection ↗
Slovakia: responsibility, authority and separate image rules ↗
Hungary: adult-offender conditions and separate image offences ↗
Bulgaria: peer responsibility and separate pornography rules ↗
Greece: both-under-15 peer rule and separate image provisions ↗
Croatia: contact exception and separate private-image conditions ↗
Slovenia: separate contact and image exceptions ↗
Estonia: adult-offender condition and separate image rules ↗
Latvia: adult-offender wording and separate image offences ↗
Lithuania: maturity, trust and July 2026 image rules ↗
Luxembourg: free consent, authority and separate image rules ↗
Malta: consent, exploitation and separate image offences ↗
Cyprus: two peer provisions and separate image rules ↗
Albania: under-18 protections and separate image rules ↗
Montenegro: maturity, trust and separate image rules ↗
Serbia: statutory age terms, cohabitation and image rules ↗
North Macedonia: authority, cohabitation and 2026 digital protections ↗
Bosnia and Herzegovina: regional peer provisions and separate image rules ↗
Moldova: age and development, child-created material and exploitation ↗
Belarus: coercion, online conduct and separate under-18 image rules ↗
Russia: coercion, online conduct and separate image protections ↗
Andorra: online conduct and current versus future image rules ↗
Liechtenstein: exploitation, authority and private-image conditions ↗
San Marino: peer responsibility, exploitation and image-law limits ↗
Monaco: consent presumptions, authority and separate image offences ↗
Turkey: distinct offences, the child’s complaint right and current law ↗
Vatican City: age provisions, marriage qualification and image offences ↗
Georgia: age, peer cases, online meetings and regional verification limits ↗
Armenia: separate contact, online and image protections ↗
Azerbaijan: exact age gaps, online meetings and the 2026 AI rule ↗
Kazakhstan: reconciliation, paid services and online protection ↗
Kyrgyzstan: non-contact conduct, coercion and images ↗
Uzbekistan: benefits, online conduct and the 2026 image reforms ↗
Privacy & personal rights
This subject is part of the planned collection. No entries have been published yet.
Relationships & family law
This subject is part of the planned collection. No entries have been published yet.
Media & publication rules
This subject is part of the planned collection. No entries have been published yet.
Sources & review dates
This subject is part of the planned collection. No entries have been published yet.
Country guides
Age of Consent in Canada: The Law, Exceptions and Protections ↗
A primary-source guide to the general threshold, close-in-age exceptions and additional protections.
Read the Canada guide ↗Age of Consent in the UK: Three Legal Systems, One General Age ↗
England and Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland: age 16, peer cases, positions of trust and separate image protections.
Read the UK guide ↗Age of Consent in France: The 15-Year Threshold and Its Limits ↗
The five-year condition, under-18 protections and the current definition of consent, with primary French legal sources.
Read the France guide ↗Age of Consent in Germany: What 14, 16 and 18 Mean ↗
The federal framework, court discretion in peer cases, exploitation, care relationships and separate image rules.
Read the Germany guide ↗Age of Consent in Spain: The 16-Year Rule and the Close-in-Age Exception ↗
The national threshold, age and maturity exception, abusive circumstances and separate protections for minors.
Read the Spain guide ↗Age of Consent in Italy: The General Rule and Added Protections ↗
The national threshold, minor peer provision, relationship protections and separate rules on images and exploitation.
Read the Italy guide ↗Age of Consent in the Netherlands: 16, Peer Rules and Caribbean Differences ↗
The European peer exception, protection at 16 and 17, separate Caribbean codes and the distinction between image law and prosecution policy.
Read the Netherlands guide ↗Age of Consent in Belgium: 16, Teen Exceptions and the 2025 Court Ruling ↗
The current code, the constitutional challenge to the teen age-gap rule, under-18 protection and separate image provisions.
Read the Belgium guide ↗Age of Consent in Switzerland: 16, the Three-Year Rule and Added Protections ↗
The federal framework, the inclusive three-year condition, dependence, the 2024 reform and separate rules for image creators and recipients.
Read the Switzerland guide ↗Age of Consent in Austria: 14, Two Close-Age Exceptions and Under-18 Protection ↗
The distinct close-age clauses, maturity and predicament protections, authority relationships and separate image rules.
Read the Austria guide ↗Age of Consent in Portugal: 14, Inexperience and Under-18 Protections ↗
The national framework, adult abuse of inexperience at 14–15, dependent or vulnerable minors and separate image and grooming provisions.
Read the Portugal guide ↗Age of Consent in Ireland: 17, the Peer Defence and Under-18 Protection ↗
The Republic’s age framework, the strictly less-than-two-year condition, the 2026 judgment, current or former authority and separate image protections.
Read the Ireland guide ↗Age of Consent in Denmark: 15, Youth Cases and Territorial Differences ↗
The Danish age framework and prosecution-waiver conditions, with separate Greenlandic and Faroese rules on consent, protection and images.
Read the Denmark guide ↗Age of Consent in Sweden: 15, Peer Exceptions and Under-18 Protection ↗
The restricted peer exception without a fixed numerical age gap, the 2025 under-18 reform and distinct contact, posing and image rules.
Read the Sweden guide ↗Age of Consent in Norway: 16, Peer Cases and the Consent Reform ↗
Approximate equality in age and development, the 2025 consent reform and 2026 changes, care relationships and a distinct image-specific peer clause.
Read the Norway guide ↗Age of Consent in Finland: 16, the Peer Exception and Under-18 Protection ↗
The two-part peer exception, parent and authority protections, the national framework including Åland, and separate image rules updated for 2026.
Read the Finland guide ↗Age of Consent in Iceland: 15, Peer Cases and Separate Image Rules ↗
Similar age and development, family and dependency protections, and the distinct image exceptions, with current law separated from pending proposals.
Read the Iceland guide ↗Age of Consent in Poland: 15, Peer Cases and Separate Image Rules ↗
The national threshold, the distinction between peer cases and juvenile responsibility, the 2025 consent reform and separate image rules.
Read the Poland guide ↗Age of Consent in Czechia: 15, the 2025 Reform and Separate Image Rules ↗
The distinction between ages 12, 15 and 18, the reform of sexual offences, peer responsibility and separate image protections updated for 2026.
Read the Czechia guide ↗Age of Consent in Slovakia: 15, Peer Cases and Protection Under 18 ↗
The national threshold, the special responsibility rule below 15, authority and dependency protections, and separate online and image offences.
Read the Slovakia guide ↗Age of Consent in Hungary: 14, the Under-12 Rule and Protection Under 18 ↗
The distinct roles of ages 12, 14 and 18, the adult-offender condition, abuse of power and separate image and performance rules.
Read the Hungary guide ↗Age of Consent in Bulgaria: 16 and the 2026 Law Changes ↗
The March threshold change, April amendments, peer responsibility, exploitation and separate pornography and under-18 image provisions.
Read the Bulgaria guide ↗Age of Consent in Greece: 15, the Peer Rule and Protection Under 18 ↗
The specific rule for two minors below 15, entrusted care, exploitation and the 2024–2025 image and online-viewing amendments.
Read the Greece guide ↗Age of Consent in Croatia: 15, the Three-Year Exception and Separate Image Rules ↗
The three-year contact exception, entrusted care, the private-image clause and enacted law separated from the 2026 proposal.
Read the Croatia guide ↗Age of Consent in Slovenia: 15, Comparable Age and Separate Image Rules ↗
Comparable age and maturity, abuse of position, separate image conditions and the October 2026 online-meeting penalty amendment.
Read the Slovenia guide ↗Age of Consent in Estonia: 16, the Five-Year Exception and Separate Image Rules ↗
The adult-offender condition, the limited exception for ages 14–15, trust protections and the personal-image conditions in current law.
Read the Estonia guide ↗Age of Consent in Latvia: 16, Adult-Offender Rules and the Under-14 Protection ↗
The adult condition in Section 161, statutory helplessness below 14, online conduct and separate protections for images and exploitation.
Read the Latvia guide ↗Age of Consent in Lithuania: 16, the Maturity Exception and Protection Under 18 ↗
The adult-offender rule, age and maturity assessment, payment and trust protections, grooming and the July 2026 pornography amendment.
Read the Lithuania guide ↗Age of Consent in Luxembourg: 16, the Four-Year Exception and Protection Under 18 ↗
The exception for ages 13–15, exact age differences, free consent, family and authority prohibitions, online propositions and separate image offences.
Read the Luxembourg guide ↗Age of Consent in Malta: 16, Peer Sentencing Rules and Separate Image Offences ↗
Why the peer provisions reduce punishment rather than remove an offence, the limits of those provisions, grooming, exploitation and separate image rules.
Read the Malta guide ↗Age of Consent in Cyprus: 17, Peer Rules and Territorial Differences ↗
The Republic’s distinct peer provisions, limited image exceptions and marriage-law cross-reference, with separate British-base and northern-code frameworks.
Read the Cyprus guide ↗Age of Consent in Albania: 14, Under-18 Protections and the 2026 Reform ↗
The February 2026 amendments, different maturity provisions, peer responsibility, family and trust protections, and separate online and image offences.
Read the Albania guide ↗Age of Consent in Montenegro: 14, Maturity and the 2026 Reform ↗
A qualitative maturity exception, trust and authority protections, and the September 2026 online and image rules, with the later pending bill distinguished from enacted law.
Read the Montenegro guide ↗Age of Consent in Serbia: 14, Maturity and Protection Under 18 ↗
The three statutory age terms, maturity exception and 2025 Supreme Court ruling, with authority, cohabitation, image and arranged-meeting provisions.
Read the Serbia guide ↗Age of Consent in North Macedonia: 15 and the 2023 Reform ↗
The 2023 change from 14 to 15, separate authority and cohabitation provisions, and the 2026 intimate-material reform, with a disclosed official date discrepancy.
Read the North Macedonia guide ↗Age of Consent in Bosnia and Herzegovina: 15 and Regional Rules ↗
The Federation, Republika Srpska and Brčko frameworks, different peer provisions, private-image conditions, online meetings and separate cohabitation restrictions.
Read the Bosnia and Herzegovina guide ↗Age of Consent in Moldova: 16, Peer Exceptions and the 2026 Reform ↗
The age-and-development peer exceptions, Constitutional Court explanation and February 2026 safeguards for authority, images, arranged meetings and exploitation.
Read the Moldova guide ↗Age of Consent in Belarus: 16, Adult-Offender Rules and Online Protection ↗
The distinct offender-age elements, coercion and helplessness, limited marriage-related release and October 2025 Supreme Court guidance on online conduct and images.
Read the Belarus guide ↗Age of Consent in Russia: 16, Peer Sentencing Rules and Separate Image Laws ↗
The limited rule on imprisonment, marriage-related release from punishment, coercion, online conduct and separate image protections, with May 2026 Supreme Court guidance.
Read the Russia guide ↗Age of Consent in Andorra: Current Rules and the December 2026 Change ↗
The current threshold, replacement code commencing 13 December, strict future age-gap exception and separate current and future image provisions.
Read the Andorra guide ↗Age of Consent in Liechtenstein: 14, Peer Exceptions and Image Rules ↗
The ordinary threshold, the inclusive three-year exception, exploitation and authority safeguards, and distinct private-use image provisions.
Read the Liechtenstein guide ↗Age of Consent in San Marino: 14, Authority and Separate Image Laws ↗
The ordinary threshold, authority and exploitation provisions, the 2026 harassment amendment and separate rules on production, possession and circulation of images.
Read the San Marino guide ↗Age of Consent in Monaco: 15, the Five-Year Rule and Image Laws ↗
The adult-offender framework, why five years changes punishment, under-13 non-consent, authority and separate image and online-proposal offences.
Read the Monaco guide ↗Age of Consent in Turkey: Why 15, 18 and Complaint Rules Matter ↗
The separate Articles 103 and 104, complaint conditions and judicial guidance, authority, exploitation and independent image and privacy protections.
Read the Turkey guide ↗Age of Consent in Vatican City: Why State Law and Canon Law Must Be Read Separately ↗
The state’s under-18 protections, Article 8 age provisions and limited marriage qualification, separate image and privacy offences, and canon law’s distinct scope.
Read the Vatican City guide ↗Age of Consent in Georgia: 16, Adult-Offender Rules and Separate Image Laws ↗
The verified national age provisions, coercion and online-meeting conditions, independent image and privacy rules, with explicit regional currentness limits.
Read the Georgia guide ↗Age of Consent in Armenia: 16, Adult-Offender Rules and Online Protection ↗
The distinct roles of ages 12, 16 and 18, consent and coercion, online conduct, separate image protections and the marriage reform.
Read the Armenia guide ↗Age of Consent in Azerbaijan: 16, the Two-Year Condition and Separate Image Laws ↗
The exact two-year condition, distinct younger-child protections, online meeting proposals, separate image offences and the marriage reform.
Read the Azerbaijan guide ↗Age of Consent in Kazakhstan: 16, Peer Cases and Protection Under 18 ↗
The 2026 Supreme Court explanation, juvenile peer cases, paid services, online conduct and separate image protections, with a Baikonur jurisdiction caveat.
Read the Kazakhstan guide ↗Age of Consent in Kyrgyzstan: 16, Adult Offenders and Protection Under 18 ↗
The adult-offender condition, separate non-contact offence, coercion, marriage and image protections, with an explicit limit on judicial-source review.
Read the Kyrgyzstan guide ↗Age of Consent in Uzbekistan: 16, Under-18 Protections and the 2026 Reforms ↗
Peer cases, material benefits at ages 16–17, the separate Article 120 restriction, court guidance and the 2026 online and image reforms.
Read the Uzbekistan guide ↗Encyclopedia ↗
An evolving reference library for sexuality, the body and human connection.
Ways of understandingPractices & Traditions ↗
A future collection exploring approaches to intimacy, traditions and schools of thought.
The cultural archiveArt, Culture & History ↗
An archive taking shape at the intersection of art, history, symbols and human experience.