Many questions have been raised with the laws surrounding statutory rape. Although the laws are in place to help people, many people view them as unfair and believe changes could be made to help improve these laws. A major problem with rape laws is that each state has a different law. To help improve rape laws, all states should work together to establish a nationwide set of laws, so that all states have the same laws. With some minor improvements, rape laws would not be a problem. In the United States, rape laws are in place to protect adolescents from rape. The dictionary definition of statutory rape is “sexual intercourse with a minor.” The difference between rape and statutory rape is that rape is an adult sexually abusing an adult, and statutory rape is an adult sexually abusing a minor. Statutory rape can occur when an adult and a minor have sex, even if it is voluntary on both sides. (North Carolina General Assembly) In every state, there is an age of consent, which is the age at which a person can legally consent to sexual intercourse. There is also an age difference, which is the number of years the victim and offender can be separated. In most states, statutory rape is defined as “a sexual offense committed against a person 13, 14, or 15 years of age.” (“Summary of Current Status”) In the laws surrounding rape in North Carolina, the laws relating to statutory rape are referred to as “Rape of a Child; ; adult offender. » This offense is considered a class B1 misdemeanor. This offense does not cover sexual acts, such as sexual touching or oral sex. The law regarding statutory rape for sexual acts constitutes a first-degree sexual offense. (North Carolina......middle of article......al Abuse 22.7 (2013): 00000 858-877. Academic research completed. Web. November 12, 2013. Roth, Norah M. "This is not rape -Rape: Statutory Rape Classification Under The Armed Career 00000 Criminal Act" St. John's Law Review 85.4 (2011): 1653-1680. Academic research completed. 00000 Web. November 13, 2013. Sahl, Daniel and Jennifer Reid Keene. "The Effects of Age, Authority, and Gender on Perceptions of 00000 Offender Rape Victims." Journal Of Interpersonal Violence 27.18 (2012): 3701-3722 Academic Research Completed, November 12. 2013. “Violated Minor Rape Provision. Federal Constitutional Rights.” Child Law Practice 30.6 00000 (2011): 82-83. Web Academic Research. Statutory: A Guide to State Laws and Reporting Requirements 00000: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, nd Web, November 1... 2013.