2.3 When the provisions dealing with statutory rape were discussed (clause 15), the age of consent became a burning issue, around which there were heated debates. The Committee finally settled on 16 years as the age of consent, as contemplated in clause 15, read with the definition of "child", in order to protect children under that age, but also to avoid the possibility of thousands of children 16 years and older being drawn into the criminal justice system and being prosecuted for engaging in sexual acts and sexual experimentation, a reality from which there is no escape in virtually all societies across the globe. The Committee, however, noted an argument in favour of raising the age of consent to 18 years, namely that "age of consent offences" (acts of consensual sexual penetration and sexual violation with certain children, as proposed in clauses 15 and 16 of the Bill) offer (automatic) legal protection for both boys and girls against adult sex predators since the prosecution, in these cases, knowing the age of the child to be under the age of consent, is only required to prove that the sexual act in question took place. The Committee, recognising the need for continued discussions on this issue, pending further research, requests the Department to see how other jurisdictions have dealt with the two competing issues mentioned above and what protective mechanisms they have put in place.