The Philippines Senate voted unanimously in favor of a bill at its third reading on Monday, which will raise the age of sexual consent in the country to 16. The age a person can consent to sex in the Philippines under the current law is 12.

The Philippines senate voted 22 in favor, 0 against and 1 in abstention for the Bill. If signed into law, Senate Bill No. 2332, known colloquially as the End Child Rape Bill, will amend the Republic Act No 8353 of 1997, also called the Anti-Rape Law of 1997, to raise the age of sexual consent. The bill would also amend the age of statutory rape in the country from 12 to 16.

With the changes, Philippines sexual violation laws will better reflect international standards where 16 is commonly accepted as the age a person can consent to sex.

A further change in the bill is redefining rape from an act of violence a man subjects a woman to, to an act of violence against any person to any person.

However, the bill includes a controversial clause which exempts persons who would otherwise face charges of statutory rape from criminal liability. This clause applies when one partner is 16 years or younger, their partner is not more than four years older or younger and the sexual interaction is proven to be “consensual, non-abusive and non-exploitative.”

The Philippines has an obligation to legislate to protect children as it ratified the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child in 1990. Article 1 of the Convention defines a “child” as a person under the age of 18.

The bill has been lauded by children’s rights organizations. The Child Rights Network said that “[the bill] not only makes it easier for child rape victims to access justice but at the same time nurtures a safer environment where children have stronger protection against sexual violence.”

Last year, the country’s House of Representatives passed a similar bill, the House Bill (HB) No. 7839. Before becoming binding law, the two bills must be combined into one and signed by President Rodrigo Duterte.