A delegate with the National People’s Congress has proposed raising China’s age of consent for sexual activity, Sixth Tone’s sister publication The Paper reported Tuesday.

Zhu Lieyu, a lawyer from the southern Chinese city of Guangzhou, is proposing that individuals be at least 18 years of age in order to give sexual consent to a “person in a dominant position,” such as a teacher or guardian.

Under China’s current criminal law, 14 is the age of sexual consent for most situations. According to Zhu, 14-year-olds would still be able to give consent to partners up to five years older; otherwise, 16 should be the nationally recognized age of consent.

The proposal will be discussed at the upcoming “two sessions” — high-profile meetings of China’s top legislative and political advisory bodies — to be held this year in late May.

In April, a teenager accused her “foster father” of raping her over the course of three years, beginning when she was 14. The case prompted calls to raise the country’s age of consent. (Image: People Visual)