Rather than simply calling for a lower sexual age of consent, student organisation SDM this evening called for conformity in legislation.

In a statement, it noted the country’s positive development in the past few years, especially when tackling social issues which in the past could have easily been considered as taboo and said that the introduction of divorce legislation and the Civil Unions Act were proof that steps in the right direction were being made

However, SDM said it was against change for change’s sake and rather than simply calling for the lowering of the sexual age of consent, it called for conformity in legislation.

“As things stand, a Maltese teenager can be sexually active at 18, can apply for a driving licence at 18, can consume alcohol at 17, is allowed into clubs at 17, can get married at 16 and can vote in local council elections at 16.

“SDM cannot help but notice that all these laws do not complement each other and, therefore, rather than simply lowering the sexual age of consent, SDM calls for an in-depth analysis of our legislation and a study is conducted to examine modern trends in society.”

SDM said that while it did not object to the fact that in the modern society, it would be acceptable for the sexual age of consent to be lowered and SDM acknowledged the importance of keeping up with modern times.

Nevertheless, if this was going to be case, the organisation stressed the importance of holistic sexual education from a young age and if the age of consent was lowered, the authorities had to ensure that even society in general was ready for these changes.

SDM encouraged the launching of nationwide campaigns to help teenagers, parents and society deal with this situation.

The organisation welcomed the ongoing discussion on the issue and hoped that the topic could continue to be discussed in a professional manner by all parties concerned and that a well-informed way forward based on solid foundation and well-thought of principles which distinguished Maltese society were found.