India has come of age to have a revolution in the field of sex similar to the trends prevailing in the US, UK and Spain. In fact, India will be leading the other nations and stand ahead of them in matters of sex if the draft copy of the Bill on child sex proposed to be introduced by the Union Government is any indication.

The draft copy of the Bill, known as the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Bill 2010, was circulated to all state governments by the Union Ministry of Women and Child Development for eliciting their views.

As per the draft provisions of the Bill, 12 year old children will be legally permitted to have non-penetrative sex with children of their age. In matters of consensual non-penetrative sex for children of 12-14 years, the maximum age gap between partners should be 2 years and for children of 14-16 years, the age gap should be 3 years.

In the US, consensual sex can take place between children of 16 and 18 years depending on the state they belong to. In the UK, it is 16 while in Spain it is now 13 years.

If the Centre introduces the Bill without changes, children of 12 year old can indulge in sex without attracting any legal objections.  But experts and child right activists are coming out with objections that when sexual abuse takes place among children over and above the provisions of the Bill, it will be difficult for the police and the investigators to decide whether the sexual act is consensual or non-consensual irrespective of its nature-penetrative or non-penetrative.