Criminal Responsibility for Child Sexual Abuse in the Law of the Leading Countries of the World

Goal. Comparative legal analysis of the application of legal norms regarding the rape of minors which resulted in grievous bodily harm to victims with similar norms in legislation of advanced countries of the world. Objectives. To identify the most efficient ways of enforcement of Paragraph “b” of Part 4 of Article 131 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation, not only in Russia, but also in the countries which signed the Lanzarote Convention. Methodology. The general scientific methodological approach was used in preparation of this paper. Specific scientific methods of cognition (dialectical method, analysis, synthesis, generalization) and special scientific methods (comparative legal, legal technical) were used during the research. Conclusions. Following the positive example of advanced countries of the world (Germany, France, USA, United Kingdom, China), Russia needs to strengthen criminal responsibility for sex crimes, in particular, for rape which entailed severe consequences for a child under 14 years old, for which reason proposals to improve Russian criminal law were put forward. If the suggested modifications in Russian legislation in the field under consideration will be effective, fruitful cooperation of Russia with the control mechanism of the Lanzarote Convention can make a noticeable contribution for other states. © 2020, Springer Nature Switzerland AG.