THE law in Guyana states that 16 is the legal age at which a child can have consensual sex. This law is somewhat connected to the marriage law, which states that a child can marry at 16 with parental consent. However, at 16, children are not emotionally or physically mature enough to embark on a full-blown adult relationship. At this age, teenagers are still developing, in fact their brains are not fully developed until they are well into their 20s (around age 25). Intellectually, a 16- year- old may sound bright and sure of him/herself, but there is still a lot of growing up to be done socially, emotionally, and psychologically, which eventually will lead to maturity. Therefore any adult, male or female, who has sex with a 16- year- old, although they are not technically breaking the law, they are still taking advantage of a child and due to the disparity in age, they can be labelled a paedophile.

Once a child starts having sexual intercourse, it opens up a whole new world of sensuality that tends to overshadow the essence of adolescence. Adolescence is a time when young people tend to reach the height of their social activities. They should be seeking to find ‘themselves’ and their place in life: They should be setting and aiming for goals, testing their abilities and taking a good look at the world around them, while they begin to make plans for how they would like to live their future. The bottom line is, adolescence should be about getting to know one’s self and gaining the confidence to move forward and attain what one wants out of life, (not motherhood or fatherhood).

Parents who understand this, do their best to keep their children on the right path. They make sure their children get a sound education and continue to guide them towards their chosen goal(s). Even if the child is not academically inclined, once he/she has a basic education there are many practical careers and trades that young people could choose from that are highly beneficial. This ‘grounding’ in a young person’s upbringing has far more long-term significance than any early sexual encounters can serve; not forgetting of course, the many potential dangers attached to early sex.

Children who have sex early are not prepared for the psychological effects that go along with the act, as a result they tend to lose focus, and sometimes even their direction in life. Some girls clearly get involved in various sexual relationships because they have missed out on some socio/emotional or psychological element of their development. They might feel unattractive, unwanted, or simply, having lacked a father figure in their development; subconsciously therefore, they just want someone to care for them, so by way of compensation they fill their void with sex. This is commonly known as ‘looking for ‘love’ in all the wrong places’. Of course, because the child is immature, she will not see the error of or reasons for, her decision, until she is much older; and then, only if she is able to make the link at all.

At 16, children still need to be guided and nurtured by adults and even when a girl becomes a child bride (16 – 18), it doesn’t make her into a woman, she is still a child in need of guidance and support (preferably parental). So many young people have had unprotected sex before reaching the age of consent, and have ended up with babies. But what do these children know about being parents? How can they play a parental role to a child, when they are still in need of parenting, themselves?

If you are a parent of a pre-adolescent or adolescent child, help them to want more out of life than just settling for a sexual relationship with someone and/or making children early in life. In the case of girlchildren, regardless of how much money or material wealth a mature man may have, do not sell your girlchild short, by marrying them off young and subsequently robbing them of their childhood and the opportunity of reaching their full potential. It is indeed a powerful person who is able to stand on his/her own two feet and fend for themselves in an honest and upright way; let that be your child, sex can wait. Do your best for your child, so that he/she will grow into a self-sufficient, self- reliant and well-rounded, confident person who embarks on family life when they are mature enough and well prepared for what it entails.

If you are concerned about the welfare of a child call the Childcare and Protection Hotline on 227 0979 or write to us at childcaregy@gmail.com

A message from the Childcare and Protection Agency, Ministry of Social Protection