Alex's Answer

Hi there and welcome to Ask Alex, 

You have told us that you had sex with your teacher and now you are pregnant. You have also said you are 16 and he is 25. You don’t know whether to tell him about the pregnancy and you stated you are scared. 

Thank you for coming forward, it mustn’t have come easy for you to do so. We understand you are scared, and we will try to support you as much as we can. 

We feel it is important for you know about the law around consent. The law says that a person must be 17 years of age to be able to consent to engaging in a sexual act. This means that a young person under the age of 17 is not legally old enough to consent to a sexual act even if they want to. It is a crime, then, to engage in a sexual act with someone who has not, or cannot, give consent. 

It is a serious offence for a person who is, or has previously been, in a position of authority over a child, to engage in a sexual act with a child or young person who is under the age of 18 (regardless of the fact that the legal age of consent is 17). Such a young person can never legally consent to engaging in a sexual act with a person who is, or who has previously been, in a position of authority over them. A full list of persons considered to be in a position of authority is set out in the law, which includes, for example, family members, carers, teachers and sports coaches. 

We are sorry to tell that, given the law, you were not in a position to give consent to that sexual activity, and therefore it is considered as sexual abuse that your teacher engaged in sexual activity with you. We know this all sounds scary, but you have a right to be safe and protected from any harm, and in order for you to be safe, it should be reported. These are the agencies where you could report: 

• 112/999 Emergencies 
• Child Sexual Abuse Freephone. Complaints of child abuse can be made over the phone and in a confidential manner 24 hours a day, 7 days a week to 1800 555 222. 

• Your local Garda Station. You may call to the Garda station in person accompanied by a friend or a support worker from one of the many victim support groups.  
• Contact your local Rape Crisis Centre. Rape crisis centres throughout the country offer advice and support services to victims of rape and sexual assault. You may contact the national 24-hour helpline at 1800 77 88 88. 

This is a lot to take in by yourself, and you don’t have to go through this alone. Talking to a trusting adult and asking for their help could make things a bit easier. You could also call Childline to support you in this matter and reflect around your concerns and how to proceed, they will always be there for you. They can be reached by phone at 1800 66 66 66 or through the Live Chat in the website www.childline.ie by clicking on the Orange Tab on the right-hand side of your screen. 

We hope this helps. 

Take care of yourself, 

Alex