Undang-undang tentang pelecehan seksual terhadap anak

Pelecehan seksual terhadap anak saat ini dilarang di hampir semua negara, umumnya dengan hukuman pidana berat, termasuk di beberapa yurisdiksi, penjara seumur hidup atau hukuman mati. Hubungan seksual antara orang dewasa dengan anak di bawah umur dewasa didefinisikan sebagai perkosaan, berdasarkan prinsip bahwa orang dewasa melecehkan adalah tindak kriminal yang menyimpang yang mengambil keuntungan dari anak di bawah umur, yang tidak mampu menyetujui, dan bahwa setiap persetujuan yang jelas diberikan oleh anak di bawah umur tidak dapat dianggap sebagai persetujuan hukum.

Referensi

1. Levesque, Roger J. R. (1999). Sexual Abuse of Children: A Human Rights Perspective. Indiana University Press. hlm. 1,5–6,176–180. The world community recently has recognized every child's fundamental human right to protection from sexual maltreatment. This right has been expressed in recent declarations, conventions, and programs of action. Indeed, the right to protection from sexual maltreatment is now entrenched so strongly in international human rights law that no country can relinquish its obligation. 
2. . Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights. 1989. Diarsipkan dari versi asli tanggal 2010-06-11. Diakses tanggal 2011-05-16. States Parties shall take all appropriate legislative, administrative, social and educational measures to protect the child from all forms of physical or mental violence, injury or abuse, neglect or negligent treatment, maltreatment or exploitation, including sexual abuse... States Parties undertake to protect the child from all forms of sexual exploitation and sexual abuse. For these purposes, States Parties shall in particular take all appropriate national, bilateral and multilateral measures to prevent: (a) The inducement or coercion of a child to engage in any unlawful sexual activity; (b) The exploitative use of children in prostitution or other unlawful sexual practices; (c) The exploitative use of children in pornographic performances and materials. 
3. "Statutory Rape Known to Law Enforcement" (PDF). U.S. Department of Justice - Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention. Diakses tanggal 2008-03-24. 
4. Black's Law Dictionary 8th Edition. child, "at common law, a person who has not reached the age of 14." See also definition under rape "carnal knowledge of a child is frequently declared to be rape by statute."