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
Partial
Age of sexual consent is 16 years. The national legislation does not provide for a close-in-age exception.
Analysis of country legislation on age of sexual consent, 2024
Extraterritoriality & Extradition
Partial
Kazakhstani legislation provides for active extraterritoriality over offenses committed outside the Kazakhstani territory, but does not provide for passive extraterritoriality. Double criminality is generally required for proceeding with active extraterritorial jurisdiction over offenses committed outside the Kazakhstani territory by Kazakhstan nationals and residents.
Extraditable offences are those punishable by imprisonment for a term not less than one year. When extradition is requested to serve a sentence, the unexpired term should be of not less than six months. There is no specific provision on the extradition of SEC related offences. Some SEC related offences are punishable under the Kazakhstani Criminal Code without setting a minimum term (i.e. Article 123 of the Criminal Code) and therefore could be not considered as extraditable offences. Double criminality is required for extradition. Extradition is permitted if the offence is punishable by at least one year of imprisonment under Kazakhstani laws.
Constitution, Criminal Code, Code of Criminal Procedure, 1995 (status as of 2023), 2014 (status as of 2023), 2014 (status as of 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.