Statutory Rape Education Project
Statutory Rape is a major issue in the United States and Nevada. According to Child Trends, in 2002 approximately 13% of female and 5% of males under the age of 18 had experienced statutory rape. In Nevada 70% of the babies born to teen mothers are fathered by adult men (2004 Nevada Vital Statistics). Statutory rape victims are more likely to become pregnant, contract a sexually transmitted disease, drop out of school, experiment with drugs and alcohol, etc.
The Statutory Rape Education Project provides free of charge statutory rape awareness classes. These classes are provided throughout Nevada to middle and high school teens, parents, mandatory reporters (counselors, teachers, nurses, health care professionals, etc.), law enforcement (police, judges, lawyers/attorneys), victim-witness advocates, and other professionals. The classes offered include:
- Statutory Rape Awareness for Teens: A Curriculum for Adolescents in Nevada
- Statutory Sexual Seduction Awareness for Parents
- Enforcing Statutory Rape Law in Nevada
- Assisting and Managing the Statutory Rape Victim-Witness in Nevada
These classes are available to interested organizations and not to individual people. Any interested organizations please contact the Health Information Manager at (775) 884-0392
Every state has laws to protect young people from perpetrators and inappropriate sexual relationships. In Nevada Statutory Rape is called Statutory Sexual Seduction (Nevada Revised Statute (NRS 200.364(3)). Statutory Sexual Seduction in Nevada means:
a) Ordinary sexual intercourse, anal intercourse, cunnilingus or fellatio committed by a person 18 years of age or older with a person under the age of 16 years; or
b) Any other sexual penetration committed by a person 18 years of age or older with a person under the age of 16 years with the intent of arousing, appealing to, or gratifying the lust or passions or sexual desires of either person.
This law is gender neutral, so the victim or the offender may be male or female and the relationship may be heterosexual or homosexual. Statutory sexual seduction only applies to consensual sex (not rape). The state of Nevada has determined that people under the age of 16 are not legally able to consent to sex.
Nevada also has related laws to protect young people such as "Sexual conduct between certain employees of school or volunteers at school and pupil" (NRS 201.550).