With his signature, the Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte passed a legal reform that raises the age of sexual consent in the Southeast Asian country from 12 to 16 years.

The changes aim to better protect children from sexual assault and rape.

The Philippines has been among the countries with the lowest protection levels for children in the world.

Critics of the existing law, which has been in force for more than 90 years, have been calling for the age limit to be raised for many years because the previous regulation facilitated the sexual abuse and exploitation of minors.

Till Fähnders

Political correspondent for Southeast Asia.

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It has long been recognized in most countries that children under the age of 16 lack the emotional maturity and decision-making capacity to consent to sexual intercourse and fully foresee the consequences of their actions.

On the other hand, the consequences of sexual abuse for minors are often all the more devastating.

Child protection laws have been in force in the Philippines for some time, criminalizing the sexual abuse of minors.

But the perpetrators have often been able to claim that the sex was consensual.

In addition, the low age limit had favored the commercial sexual exploitation of children and the high rate of teenage pregnancy in the Philippines.

According to a 2015 study, one in five children aged 13 to under 18 in the Philippines has experienced sexual violence.

More than four percent said they had been raped.

After the law was signed, the child protection organization UNICEF praised the "legislative milestone" on Monday.

There is relief that the law was passed before the new presidential and parliamentary elections in May, otherwise a delay would have been expected.

Gender-neutral language is also used in the new law.

So far, only abuse of girls had been mentioned.

According to the studies, however, boys in the Philippines are even more likely to be victims of sexual violence.

Consensual sex between young people is exempt from the law, provided they are at least 13 years old and the age difference is no more than three years.