Statutory rape is when someone has sex with someone who is under that state’s age of consent. It’s illegal, even if both people say they wanted to have sex. The idea behind these laws is that children and teens under a certain age may be too young to decide for themselves whether to have sex. Also, the laws protect young people from older teens and adults who might force or manipulate young people into doing sexual things. Statutory rape can include sexual intercourse or other types of sexual contact. It can happen between people of the same or different sexes. Also, the older person can go to jail for doing it, regardless of whether they are male or female or whether the younger person agreed to have sex. To be clear: minors—young people under 18—cannot legally give consent. So even if the youth is agreeing to sexual activities, IT IS AGAINST THE LAW. Again—if both partners are not 18 or older, any sexual activity between them is considered illegal and may result in criminal charges.