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Kota Kinabalu: Arresting and prosecuting teenagers engaged in consensual sexual activity not amounting to statutory rape goes against the intention and spirit of the Sexual Offences Against Children (SOAC) Act 2017, said Child Rights Innovation and Betterment (Crib) Foundation.

The non-governmental organisation also said the recent action taken against two teenagers, aged 15 and 16, in Sibu, was a waste of public resources and government machinery.

The two teenagers reportedly engaged in consensual sexual activity were charged with physical sexual assault under Section 14 and child pornography under Section 5 of the SOAC Act, respectively, and were reported to have pleaded guilty to the said charges.