Sexual Crimes Against Adolescents

Posted by Waikhu

Sexual Harassment

Sexual harassment is any unwanted sexual attention a female experiences (The Boston Women's Health Book Collective, 1992). It includes leering, pinching, patting, comments, and suggestions of a sexual nature (The Boston Women's Health Book Collective, 1992).

• No one is immune from sexual harassment.
• The majority of females will experience harassment at the workplace (The Boston Women's Health Book Collective, 1992).
• A survey conducted by Ms. in 1991, found that 43% of females experienced sexual harassment at work or in an academic environment (The Boston Women's Health Book Collective, 1992).

Rape

Rape is any kind of sexual activity committed against a female's will (The Boston Women's Health Book Collective, 1992). Rape serves as a tool for keeping down or punishing females deprived of power by sexism, racism, and other forms of discrimination. Rape is more likely to be committed by someone the victims know than by a stranger (The Boston Women's Health Book Collective, 1992).

• 9 out of 10 rapes occur between members of the same racial group (The Boston Women's Health Book Collective, 1992).
• African American females are at greater risk of being raped than any other group (White, 1990).
• Two-thirds of reported rapes are planned (The Boston Women's Health Book Collective, 1992).

Sexual Abuse

The sexual abuse of children is one of the country's most frequent and widespread crimes, affecting as many as 25% of females before the age of age thirteen (White, 1990). Sexual abuse can be committed by family friends, doctors, teachers, baby-sitters…

• 1 in 3 American females will be sexually abused in her lifetime (The Boston Women's Health Book Collective, 1992).
• African American females are more frequently the victims of sexual abuse than white females (White, 1990).

Incest

Incest is sexual contact that occurs between family members (The Boston Women's Health Book Collective, 1992). A family member uses their power, and the child's love and dependence to initiate sexual contact (The Boston Women's Health Book Collective, 1992).

• Most incest occurs between older male relatives and younger females in the family (The Boston Women's Health Book Collective, 1992).
• Incest includes looking, touching, prolonged kissing, oral sex, and intercourse (The Boston Women's Health Book Collective, 1992).

Effects of Sex Crimes on Adolescent Females

Not only must females endure these abuses, they must deal with their after effects. Victims of sexual harassment, rape, sexual abuse, and incest are at increased risk of suicide, depression, drug and alcohol abuse, STD's gynecological problems, and a variety of psychiatric disorders (Heise, 1994, Koss & Heslet, 1992, in The Boston women's Health Book Collective, 1992).

To Read Further

• Bart, Pauline, and Patricia O'Brien. Stopping Rape: Successful Survival Strategies. Elmsford, NY: Pergamon Press, 1985.
• Bass, Ellen, and Laura Davis. The Courage to Heal: A Guide for Women Survivors of Sexual Abuse. New York: Harper & Row, 1988.

 

To Read Further . . .About Sexual Identity

• Kroger, J. (1989). Identity in Adolescence: The Balance between Self and Other. New York: Routledge.
• Rekers, G. A. & Jurich, A.P. (1983). Development of problems of puberty and sex roles in adolescence. Handbook of Clinical Child Psychology, 785-797.
• Steinberg, L. (1993). Adolescence. New York: McGraw-Hill Inc.

About Gay, Lesbian, and Bisexual Youth

• Anderson, D.A. (1994). Lesbian and gay adolescents: Social and Developmental considerations. High School Journal, 77, 13-19.
• Dempsey, C.L. (1994). Health and social issues of gay, lesbian, and bisexual adolescents. Families in Society, 75, 160-1767.
• Hunter, J. & Schaecher, R. (1994). AIDS prevention for lesbian, gay, and bisexual adolescents. Families in Society, 75, 346-354.
• Katchadourian, H. (1990). In Feldman, S.S. & Elliott, G.R. (Ed.), At the Threshold (pp. 330-351). Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press.
• Bohan, Janis S. (1996). Psychology and Sexual Orientation - Coming to Terms. Routledge, New York, NY.
• Blumenfeld, Warren J., & Lindop, Laurie. Homophobia's Impact on Family. Website http://www.glstn.org/respect/.
• U.S. Dept. Of Health and Human Services. (1989). Report of the Secretary's Task Force on Youth Suicide., Washington, D.C..
• Hetrick Martin Institute. (1992). Factfile: Lesbian, Gay and Bisexual Youth. New York, NY.
• Sivertsen, Wiggsy D. LCSW, & Thames, Terri B. PhD. (1995). Each Child that Dies - Gays and Lesbians in Your Schools. Mulicultures, Unity through Diversity - a Monograph of Diversity in the Field of Education. Vol. 1.

 

Resource List - This list is small in comparison to the amount of information available through local libraries, the internet and local support services. Please do not stop here if you are interested in further reading or information

• Back, Gloria Guss. (1985). Are You Still My Mother? Are You Still My Family?Warner Books, Inc.
• Bernstein, Robert A. (1995). Straight Parents, Gay Children - Keeping Families Together. Thunder Mouth Press, New York, NY .
• Bohan, Janis. S. (1996). Psychology and Sexual Orientation. Routledge, New York, NY.
• Eichberg, Rob, Ph.D. (1990). Coming Out. Penquin Books, USA, Inc. NY, NY.
• Fairchild, Betty & Hayward, Nancy. (1989) Now That You Know - What Every Parent Should Know About Homosexuality. Second Harvest/HBJ Book.
• Jennings, Kevin, ed. (1994). One Teacher in Ten. Alyson Publications, Inc. Boston, MA.
• McNeil, John, J. (1993). The Church and the Homosexual, 4th Edition. Beacon Press, Boston, MA.
• Rafkin, Louise, ed. (1996). Different Daughters, 2nd edition. Cleis Press, Inc. Pittsburgh, PA.
• Singer, Bennett L., ed. (1994). Growing up Gay, Growing up Lesbian - A Literary Anthology. The New Press, New York, NY.

About Teen Pregnancy

• Brooks-Gunn, J. & Furstenberg, F. F. (1989). Adolescent sexual behavior. American Psychologist, 44(2), 249-257.
• Barth, R. P., Fetro, J. V., Leland, N., & Volkan, K. (1992). Preventing adolescent pregnancy with social and cognitive skills. Journal of Adolescent Research, 7(2), 208-232.
• Calderone, M. S. (1988). Family transition to parenthood: Emerging concepts for sexual health. Marriage and Family review, 12(3-4), 339-356.
• Handelsman, C.D., Cabral, R. J., & Weisfeld, G. E. (1987). Sources of information and adolescent sexual knowledge and behavior. Journal of Adolescent Research, 2(4), 455-463.
• Huston, R. L., Martin, L. J., & Foulds, D. M. (1990). Effect of a program to facilitate parent-child communication about sex. Clinical Pediatrics, 29(11), 626-633.
• Maynard, R. A. (Ed.). (1996). Kids having kids: A Robin Hood Foundation special report on the costs of adolescent childbearing. New York: Robin Hood Foundation.
• Warren, C. (1992). Perspectives on international sex practices and American family sex communication relevant to teenage sexual behavior in the United States. Health Communication, 4(2), 121-136.
• White, S. D. & DeBlassie, R. R. (1992). Adolescent sexual behavior. Adolescence, 27(105), 183-191.

About Sexually Transmitted Diseases

• Bell, R., et al. (1988). Changing Bodies, Changing Lives: A Book for Teens on Sex and Relationships. New York: Random House.
• Cherniak, D. (1983). A Book About Sexually Transmitted Diseases. Montreal: Montreal Health Press.
• Crowe, M. & Norsigian,J. (1992). Sexually transmitted diseases. In K.M. Stone & M. Topal (Ed.) The New Our Bodies, Ourselves (308-325). New York: Simon & Schuster Inc.
• D'Angelo, L.J. & DiClemente, R.J. (1996). Sexually transmitted diseases including humna immunodeficency virus infection. In W.B. Hansen & L.E. Ponton (Ed.) Handbook of Adolescent Health Risk Behavior (333-367). New York: Plenum Press.

About Sexual Crimes

• The Boston Women's Health Book Collective (1992). Violence Against Women. In The New Our Bodies Ourselves (p. 131-150).
• Heise, (1994), Koss & Heslet, (1992). In The New Our Bodies Ourselves (p. 131-150).
• White, E. (1990). Love Don't Always Make it Right: Black Women and Domestic Violence. In The Black Women's Health Book Speaking for Ourselves (p. 92-97).

Share This

Tags: Sexual Crimes Against Adolescents

Related posts

• No related posts.