Global Progress Towards Ending the Sexual Exploitation of Children
A global problem requires truly global solutions to address the sexual exploitation of children.
Indicators
Age of Consent
Not Yet Assessed
Extraterritoriality & Extradition
Partial
Active extraterritoriality is provided for crimes committed outside Belarus if the double criminality requirement is fulfilled and if they have not incurred in criminal liability in that country. Passive extraterritoriality is not provided for crimes committed outside Belarus against Belarus citizens and residents. Article 6 (3) of the Criminal Code provides for universal jurisdiction over certain crimes committed outside Belarus by foreigners and stateless (as human trafficking (art. 181)); and offences committed outside Belarus prosecutable on the basis of an international treaty by which Belarus is bound.
A citizen of the Republic of Belarus may not be extradited to a foreign state, unless provided by treaties to which Belarus is a party. Extraditable offences are those punishable under Belarusian Criminal Code and punishable by deprivation of liberty for a term of at least one year under the legislation of Belarus or that of the State requesting extradition. Most SEC-related carry greater penalties and would be considered as extraditable offences. However, the extradition for offences like child sexual abuse contained in Article 168 of the Criminal Code could be denied as it does not establish a minimum limit.
Criminal Code
Code of Criminal Procedure, 1999 (modified 2023),
CSAM Definition
Not Yet Assessed
Background Check Required
Not Yet Assessed
National Commitments
Not Yet Assessed
Child Advocacy Centers
Not Yet Assessed
SEC Police Unit
Not Yet Assessed
Protection Standards Travel and Tourism
Not Yet Assessed
Public SEC Case Data
Not Yet Assessed
Age of Consent Law is Appropriate
The age of sexual consent for both males and females is 18 and a close in age exemption (up to 3 years) is provided for consensual sexual relationships between adolescents.
The age of sexual consent is the legally defined age at which a person is considered mature enough to agree to sexual activity. The age of sexual consent varies across jurisdictions around the world and there is no international legal instrument establishing it, however various forms of advocacy have encouraged States to establish a minimum age under which engaging in sexual contact is considered a criminal offence. This is intended to prevent sexual contact with children and to prevent argument that the child consented as a defence.
Often national provisions related to the age of sexual consent include an exception, known as a close-in-age exemption, making consensual sexual activities between young people lawful if the partners are of similar ages and the age difference is not higher than a certain number of years.
To ensure that cases of child sexual exploitation do not go unpunished, ECPAT advocates for the age of sexual consent to be set at 18 for both males and females with a close-in-age exemption of 2-3 years provided in order to ensure young people are not penalised for consensual sexual acts with peers. The age from which the exemption applies should be established by States but may begin for young people somewhere between 12 and 16 years of age.
Yes The national legislation explicitly indicates that the age of sexual consent unequivocally is 18 for both males and females, with a close-in-age exemption for sexual acts between peers (of up to 3 years) is provided by law.