French law in dock over age of consent

PARIS - In most developed countries, the age of sexual consent is a fairly straightforward matter.

Not so in France, which is in the midst of a furious debate over the issue after a man in his twenties was acquitted of raping an 11-year-old girl.

Under current French law, any sexual act by an adult with a child under the age of 15 can be prosecuted as a sexual offense, which carries a maximum five-year prison sentence.