The Accused.

Trolly has pointed out my little stat rape non-rant as unjustified. So here goes.
I think that the whole stat rape rule is quite archaic in certain ways. There is the argument that a minor has to be protected by law because they are not old enough to understand the whole concept of sex in terms of consequences etc. The idea is that the female under 16 years of age doesn't know any better and is basically bait for sexual predators and other knick knack paddywhacks. (Give the dog a boner.) I think that's quite right, yes, children need to be protected from sexual predators who will attempt to take advantage of a girl's innocence and naivete.
But it's the 20's...hmm...00's? I never quite figured that out.
Kids have changed. I still agree that the idea of the child is quite sacred. Children need to be protected. But what're you going to do if a child chooses to reject that protection? Stat rape laws state that children who reject the law are still protected under it, causing them to be in the position of innocence. Fairness? Justice? Nah.
Why not just extend rape laws? Statutory rape is the act of sex with a minor. Why not extend rape laws to protect minors as well? It can be argued that a child who is tricked into sleeping with a sexual predator is raped the same way a girl who sleeps with a guy who has drugged her is raped. There is no consent sans influence and that's what rape is.
I think that it was a bum rap that the teacher got jailed for statutory rape. That doesn't mean that I condone what he did. I think that 7 years in the slammer is what he deserved. But purely because he abused his position of power and influence to sleep with a person who was supposed to be safe in his care because she was in a classroom. I think that she was raped in that way. Not because she was younger, but because that trust was abused.
It happens all over the world. All over the world, people are sleeping with each other for no other reason than to use them.
I think that's the ill and that's the crime.