Teens talk sex to MPs

Many youngsters do not know that having consensual sex with another minor is a crime - and even if they did, it wouldn't stop them.

This was the view of 14-year-old Amkele Ndaba, who made submissions to parliament's portfolio committee on justice and correctional services yesterday.

The committee is considering proposed amendments to the Criminal Law (Sexual Offences and Related Matters) Amendment Act.

The legislation at the centre of the discussion previously declared consensual sexual acts between teenagers aged 12 to 15 a crime.

The Constitutional Court ruled that this infringed children's constitutional rights and ordered parliament to remedy the defects.

Ndaba told the committee that although parents tell teenagers not to have sex, "sex and sexuality are a natural part of growing up".

Sisipho Bokwe, 17, said that "as a teenager, I will not say it is wrong or right to have sex. It is part of every human being's development."

The teenagers said their parents were not educating them about sex.

"Many parents do not talk about sex because they feel uncomfortable. Many teenagers learn about sex from TV, the internet and friends," said Bokwe.

Thomas Aston, 17, said that life orientation teachers at school often focused on "academics at the expense of sex talk".

"Young people want to know about sex. We only see sex on TV and movies and we experiment with it because we see it," he said.

Bokwe added: "They don't tell us what happens when you have sex - the why, when and how."

The portfolio committee began hearing public submissions on the amendment bill last week.

If the bill were enacted, consensual sexual acts involving a child between 12 and 15 would be criminal only if one of the partners was more than two years older than the other.

Lucy Jamieson, a researcher at the University of Cape Town's Children's Institute, said there was a perception that the committee was lowering the age of consent for sex.

Jamieson proposed that the law explicitly state that the age of consent was 16.