Laws for minor interventions

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There are several laws for minor interventions, compared to genital mutilation of minors, which show the double standards in many countries on behalf of protecting children.

Spanking

In many countries, spanking children as education measure was common until recently. More and more countries now forbid violence against children by law.

Germany

In 2000, Germany finally forbid violence against children as a parental right. See § 1631 BGB.

Sweden

Already in 1979, Sweden became one of the first nations to forbid spanking children by law.[1]

Body piercing

In many countries, piercing of minors is not allowed by law. Here is a list of some countries (to be continued):

Germany

Minors from 7 to 17 years are allowed to do business and contracts in the appropriation of their pocket money without consent of their parents, as German Civil Code states in section 110 (so-called pocket money paragraph). This is also true for body piercings and tattoos if the child is capable of discernment.[2]

UK

There are basic standards that apply across Britain. The law prohibits piercing the genitals of anyone under 16, the age of sexual consent, or the nipples of a girl under 16. In England, there is no age limit for piercing tongues, boys’ nipples or less intimate body parts. In Scotland, any piercings, even of earlobes, require parental approval before age 16.[3]

Area Genitals Nipples (female) Tongue Nipples (male) Other body parts
Britain 16 16 16 16 16
England 16 16 0 0 0
Scotland 16 16 16 16 16
Wales 18 18 18 18 18


USA

The USA have varying state regulations for piercing minors. The following list has been adapted from the website painfulpleasures.com[4].

State Age Limit Approval Offence Penalty
Written, informed consent from parent / legal guardian Presence of parent or guardian during piercing Additional obligations
Alabama 18 X ?? ??
Alaska 18 X X The piercer must keep a copy of the written permission on file for a minimum of 3 years Class B misdemeanor ??
Arizona 18 X Class 6 felony ??
Arkansas 18 X X misdemeanor fine between $20 and $200
California 18 (except ear piercings) X OR parent or guardian providing notarized approval ?? ??
Colorado 18 X (express consent) petty offense $250 fine
Connecticut 18 X ?? ??
Delaware 18 X ?? ??
District of Columbia free - - - none yet ??
Florida 18 X X (optional) ?? ??
Georgia 18 X misdemeanor ??
Hawaii free (16+ for navel and ear piercings in many shops) (present valid photo ID in many shops) (nipple and genital piercings excluded) ?? ??
Idaho 14 (except earlobe piercing) X (in the presence of the person performing the piercing or an employee or agent of the piercer) misdemeanor offense fine of up to $500; 2nd offence within a year of the first one, they may be fined another $500 to $1,000
Illinois 18 (exception for emancipated or married minors) X Class C misdemeanor (Allowing a minor unaccompanied by a parent or legal guardian to step foot into a tattoo and piercing shop is deemed a Class A misdemeanor.) ??
Indiana 18 X X ?? ??
Iowa free for piercings, 18 for tattoos parental consent, some shops won't pierce or tattoo anyone under the age of 18 under any circumstances, even with parental consent ??
Kansas 18 X (notarized) X Piercers must keep copies of written permission to pierce minors on file for 5 years. Class A misdemeanor ??
Kentucky 18 X (notarized) ?? ??
Louisiana 18 X X ?? fine between $100 and $500 and/or imprisoned for 30-100 days.
Maine 18 (some shops have different rules, e.g. 15+ for navels and noses, 16+ for eyebrows and tongues) X ?? ??
Maryland 18 (free for ear piercing) X (in the presence of the piercer or his or her employee) from $300 for a first offense to $3,000 for multiple violations
Massachusetts 18 (only for nipple and genital piercings) X (various guidelines in different shops) ??
Michigan 18 X (in the presence of the piercer or their employee) ??
Minnesota 18 X (witnessed) X misdemeanor ??
Mississippi 18 (except earlobe) X misdemeanor ??
Missouri 18 X (in the presence of a piercer or their agent) X misdemeanor 1st offense: up to $500, repeated offenses: additional $500 to $1,000.
Montana 18 X X fine up to $500 and/or imprisoned for up to 6 months. (A second offense may result in a fine of up to $1,000, up to 6 months in prison, or both.)
Nebraska 18 X X Piercers have to save written consent forms for at least 5 years. unprofessional conduct may jeopardize a piercer's license to practice
Nevada 18 X X (in Clark County) state- or school-issued picture identification must be provided both by the child and their guardian, and that a photocopy of the IDs must be kept on file with all related paperwork, which should include a signed release form ??
New Hampshire 18 X X Shops must maintain records of piercing minors for 7 years. ??
New Jersey 18 X "disorderly persons offense" ??
New Mexico 18 X (e.g. Albuquerque City, hand-written and notarized; except ear piercing) X if no written and notarized consent has been hand-delivered unregulated none
New York 18 X X Shops must keep consent forms on file for a minimum of 12 months. ??
North Carolina 18 (except earlobes) X ??
North Dakota 18 X X misdemeanor to sell tattoo or piercing equipment to a minor ??
Ohio 18 X X ??
Oklahoma 18 X X misdemeanor up to 90 days of imprisonment, a fine of up to $5,000, or both
Oregon 18 X X If a facility fails to obtain a consent form prior to piercing a minor, though, they are violating state law and subject to disciplinary action.
Pennsylvania 18 X X 3rd degree misdemeanor fine of $100, imprisonment for up to 3 years, or both.
Rhode Island 18 X ??
South Carolina 18 not approvable not approvable ??
South Dakota 18 X (required in many shops) no state-wide regulations ??
Tennessee 18 X X They must also present proof of age, provide proof of guardianship or custody, and attest in writing that they are the minor's legal caretaker. Class C misdemeanor imprisonment for up to 30 days or a fine of up to $50.
Texas X The legal caretaker must provide evidence of their parental or guardian status and their consent must specify the part of the body to be pierced. ??
Utah 18 X A piercer has to assign a personal ID number to a client and follow all proper protocol before piercing someone s/he did not know was a minor. Class B misdemeanor civil penalty of $1,000 for each violation
Vermont 18 X (most shops) X (most shops) no state-wide regulations, seen as "unprofessional conduct" ??
Virginia 18 (except ear piercings and piercings under the supervision of a medical doctor, registered nurse, or other medical personnel) X Class 1 misdemeanor ??
Washington 18 (for tattoos) X (most shops) X (most shops) no rules ??
West Virginia 18 (for tattoos) X (most shops) ??
Wisconsin 16-17 X X Piercing establishments are required to clearly post that it's illegal to pierce anyone under the age of 18 without a parent or guardian's informed written consent. Shops must maintain consent forms for 2 years after piercing anyone. see: Wisconsin Administrative Code ??
Wyoming 18 X X Piercers must verify patrons' ages by examining proper identification. misdemeanor imprisonment for up to 6 months and/or a fine of up to $750

Tattoos

Europe

There is no special European law which defines age limits for tattoos on minors. Various European countries have different or even no regulations.

Country With parent's consent Without parent's consent Law since Special remarks
Austria 16 18
Belgium ?? ??
Bulgaria ?? ??
Cyprus 18 18
Czech Republic ?? ?? no regulation found
Denmark 18 18 1966-06-15 Tattoos forbidden on head, neck, hands
Estland ?? ?? no regulation found
Finnland 16 18
France 16 16
Germany 16 16
Greece 18 18 does not apply for permanent make-up
Hungary ?? ?? no regulation found
Ireland 14-16 18 (many shops)
Italy ?? ??
Kroatia 16 18
Latvia ?? ?? no regulation found
Lithuania ?? ?? no regulation found
Luxembourg ?? ?? no regulation found
Malta 18 18
Netherlands <16 16 Tattoo shop has to keep signed consent for 10 years.
Poland ?? ??
Portugal ?? 18
Romania 18 18
Slowakia ?? ?? no regulation found
Slowenia ?? ?? no regulation found
Spain 14-16 18
Sweden 18 18
UK 18 18 1969-05-16

References