Child welfare groups have broadly welcomed the recommendations on child protection in a Dáil committee report, which proposes lowering the age of consent to 16.
The Children's Rights Alliance said recommendations to enshrine new laws in the Constitution were welcome.
However, a number of groups, including the Rape Crisis Network, have expressed concern.
Speaking on RTÉ Radio's News At One, the Chief Executive of the Rape Crisis Network, Fiona Neary, said it would be a mistake to lower the age of consent from 17.
The Fine Gael leader, Enda Kenny, said that the recommendation on the legal age for sex conveyed the wrong signals to children and to society.
The Joint committee on Child Protection has spent several weeks considering more than 50 submissions from interest groups.
This afternoon it published its report which contained 62 recommendations.
The committee, which is led by TD Peter Power, recommends creating a zone of absolute protection for all children under 16 years of age.
It also proposes that the defence of mistake as to age is to be removed for children under 15.
