The age of consent relates to a number of things. The age of consent is the age that someone can legally consent to having sex. If they have sex before this age and the person they have sex with is above the age of consent, the older person has committed a crime.

The age of consent also relates to the age that someone can legally get sexual and reproductive health services (SRHR) without their parent or guardian’s permission. In many countries, people have to be aged 18 or over to get SRHR services, including HIV services, without parental consent. This stops many young people from getting the services they need to stop HIV, STIs and unintended pregnancies.
 

Some countries also have laws that say women can only access SRHR services with their husband or male family members’ permission, regardless of her age. 

The age of consent depends on the country you are in. Find out what yours is by researching the laws in your country.

As well as biomedical services (services that relate to the body), such as providing condoms, lubricants, PrEP, PEP and HIV and testing, other services can help prevent HIV infections among young people. 

This includes:

- supporting families to help young people, especially girls, stay in school

- providing comprehensive sexuality education in after-school clubs or youth-friendly community spaces 

- HIV prevention information campaigns, presented in ways that are appealing to young people, communicated in ways they will engage with

- preventing and addressing gender-based violence, including couples counselling, counselling for men, counselling and post-violence support for young people who have experienced violence (biomedical services such as PEP and HIV testing should also be provided)

- training and education to provide young people with more opportunities and prospects, which reduces their risk of sexual exploitation, transactional sex and intimate partner violence 

- wider sexual and reproductive health services, including STI testing and contraceptive services.

The most effective way to provide effective HIV services for young people is to find out what issues and challenges they face that affect their sexual health, then work with youth representatives to design, deliver and evaluate services to meet these needs. 

Young people who inject drugs, young sex workers, young men who have sex with men and young LGBTIQ+ people often fall between the gaps of HIV programmes. 

HIV services for these at-risk groups don’t consider the special vulnerabilities and needs of young people. (Things like not being able to get HIV services without parental consent before the age of 18 and being vulnerable to exploitation and control from older people.) While HIV services for young people are often designed for young heterosexual married couples and young pregnant women. The needs of young people who are socially marginalised and often criminalised tend not to be considered. But these young people are highly at risk of HIV.

It is effective to train and work with peer representatives (young people from these groups). This helps to build trust and encourages other young people from at-risk groups to use the services on offer. 

All young people from at-risk groups should have access to HIV prevention, testing and treatment in ways that don’t stigmatise them or threaten their well-being. One-to-one counselling, peer support groups and one-on-one peer support should be offered to support the mental health of these young people, who often experience trauma and ill-treatment.
 

Remember that the needs between groups will differ. Young people who inject drugs need access to harm reduction (things like clean needles and syringes), if possible. And they may prefer to use young-person-only harm reduction services, which can make them feel safer. Young sex workers are likely to need more condoms and lubricant than other young people. While young LGBTIQ+ people may need specialist counselling to deal with things like homophobia and transphobia. All may need people to act as legal guardians so they can access HIV and other SRHR services.