# Legal provisions concerning adolescent romantic relationships - URL: https://alisanburak.com/en/wcp-2026-posterler/k1946 - Language: en - Last updated: not specified - Page title: Legal provisions concerning adolescent romantic relationships | WCP 2026 Summary > In India, the discrepancy between the age of consent and the legal age of marriage, along with the absence of a protective Romeo and Juliet provision, effectiv… This page was translated automatically from Turkish. [Read the original](https://alisanburak.com/wcp-2026-posterler/k1946) This page is an AI-assisted Turkish summary of the study presented at the 26th World Congress of Psychiatry. The study belongs to the presenting authors; please refer to the original source when citing it. Symposium PresentationForensic PsychiatryReview / Opinion # Legal provisions concerning adolescent romantic relationships Legislations relating to adolescent love Presenter: Indira Sharma Country: India Session: 3800 - ADOLESCENT LOVE: PSYCHIATRIC & FORENSIC ASPECTS Date: Fri, 25.09.2026, 13:30 - 13:45 Room: Hall A8 In India, the discrepancy between the age of consent and the legal age of marriage, along with the absence of a protective Romeo and Juliet provision, effectively criminalizes adolescent romantic relationships. The talk addresses the legal issues arising in India as modernization brings adolescent girls and boys into friendships and, at times, romantic relationships. Under the Constitution of India, a person under the age of 18 is a minor, and the law does not permit consensual sexual relations between minors; consequently, the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act, 2012 criminalizes adolescent romantic relationships. Marriage laws (the Hindu Marriage Act, 1955 and the Special Marriage Act, 1954) set the minimum legal age of marriage at 21 for men and 18 for women. Child marriage is prohibited under the Prohibition of Child Marriage Act, 2006; such marriages are voidable rather than automatically void, and the child, a guardian, or a Child Marriage Prohibition Officer may apply for annulment. The judiciary recognizes cohabitation between adults under Article 21, which protects the right to life and personal liberty. While many countries have a Romeo and Juliet provision that prevents adolescent romantic relationships from being criminalized, attempts to introduce similar provisions in countries such as India have been unsuccessful. Three main problems with the law are identified: the discrepancy between the age of consent and the legal age of marriage; the fact that consensual sexual activity outside marriage is legal after the age of 18 but is considered contrary to social norms; and the absence of a provision for the psychiatric assessment of adolescents who fall in love, despite the fact that psychotic disorders often begin in adolescence. How to cite this study APA 7: Sharma, I., et al. (2026, September 25). Legislations relating to adolescent love [Symposium presentation]. 26th WPA World Congress of Psychiatry (WCP 2026), Stockholm, Sweden. Vancouver: Sharma I, et al. Legislations relating to adolescent love [symposium presentation]. 26th WPA World Congress of Psychiatry (WCP 2026); 2026 Sep 23-26; Stockholm, Sweden. Author names and title formatting were generated automatically from the congress system; please check them against the original poster before use. ## On the same topic - [Yaşlı suç işleyenler için topluma yeniden uyum desteği: sosyal hizmet uzmanlarının bakış açıları](https://alisanburak.com/en/wcp-2026-posterler/ev0100) - [Grup temelli yörünge modellemesiyle en saldırgan adli psikiyatri yatan hastalarının belirlenmesi: klinik özellikler ve bakım içeriği](https://alisanburak.com/en/wcp-2026-posterler/ev0102) - [Toplumsal cinsiyete dayalı şiddetin fiziksel yansımaları ve failin profiliyle ilişkisi: İspanya'da mahkeme kararlarının analizi (2020 ile 2025)](https://alisanburak.com/en/wcp-2026-posterler/ev0104) - [Akut psikiyatri servisinde yatan hastalarda sağlık çalışanlarına yönelik şiddet: Bask Bölgesi'nde bir pilot çalışma](https://alisanburak.com/en/wcp-2026-posterler/ev0105) - [Mount Carmel Hastanesi çok amaçlı biriminde şiddet riski değerlendirmesini iyileştirmek için Brøset Şiddet Kontrol Listesinin uygulanması: bir hizmet iyileştirme projesi](https://alisanburak.com/en/wcp-2026-posterler/ev0106) [All WCP 2026 summaries](https://alisanburak.com/en/wcp-2026-posterler) --- Kaynak / Source: https://alisanburak.com/en/wcp-2026-posterler/k1946 İletişim / Contact: Bağdat Caddesi, Veli Güneysu Apt. No:453 K:4 D:9, Suadiye / Kadıköy, İstanbul · +90 532 642 95 25 · info@alisanburak.com · https://alisanburak.com/bagdat-caddesi-psikoterapi-iletisim