PARIS (AP) — France’s government wants to set the age of sexual consent at 15 and make it easier to punish long-ago child sexual abuse. The move comes amid growing public pressure and a wave of online testimonies about rape and other sexual violence committed by parents and authority figures. The justice minister says sexual penetration of anyone under 15 by an adult will be considered rape, but exceptions would be made for teenagers having consensual sex. The move would need to be enshrined in law, but the announcement is a major step after years of efforts to toughen French protection for children victims of rape and sexual violence.
