Statutory rape is a crime that occurs when an adult engages in sexual activity with a minor who is considered too young to legally consent to have sex or sexual contact. The age at which a person is too young to consent to have sex or sexual contact varies by state, and often varies by different crimes. Statutory rape laws are based on the premise that an individual is legally incapable of consenting to sexual intercourse until that person reaches a certain age. It is important to note that even if the minor willingly engages in sexual intercourse, the sex is not consensual and is considered rape.

Some key points to know about statutory rape include:

• The age at which a person is considered too young to legally consent to sexual activity varies by state and by different crimes.
• Statutory rape laws are based on the premise that minors are generally economically, socially, and legally unequal to adults.
• The original purpose of statutory rape laws was to protect young, unwed females from males who might impregnate them and not take responsibility by providing support for the child.
• Statutory rape is a generic term, and different jurisdictions use different statutory terms for the crime, such as rape of a child (ROAC), sexual assault (SA), unlawful sex with a minor (USWAM), corruption of a minor (COAM), and carnal knowledge of a minor (CKOAM) .

It is important to note that statutory rape laws vary by state, and the rules are very different for every state. For specific information about the statutory rape laws in your state, you can find a lawyer in your state on the Finding a Lawyer page of WomensLaw.org. If you or someone you know has been a victim of statutory rape, you can call the National Sexual Assault Hotline at 800.656.HOPE (4673) to be connected with someone over the phone who can help.