Definition of affair by The Free Dictionary
"A romantic and sexual relationship, sometimes one of brief duration, between two people who are not married to each other."
The age of consent in the UK is 16 (Age of consent).
Call me picky, but when I think of the word "affair", I think of an extra-marital sexual relationship between 2 adults who are not married to each other (one or both being married to other people).
The key word here, being adults.
Not children.
If someone has unlawful sex (rape) with a child, it is classed as "sexual assault - it's a criminal offence".
Not an affair.
In the above story, the "affair" began when the girl was 14.
So still a child.
This way of reporting is another inaccurate and prejudicial term that is extensively used by media worldwide.
Why is this so often described as an "affair" by the media, instead of what it actually is - "Sexual Assault"?
What do victims think when their lives have been ruined by sexual assaults by adults, seeing their abuse being downplayed and trivialised in the media, by having it described as merely "having an affair"?
"Accuracy of language is one of the bulwarks of truth" - Anna Jameson.
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