Sexualized media images of children
Being surrounded by media images and a culture that glamorize physical perfection and sexualize the clothes and appearance of even very young children may make it difficult for children and young people to grow up feeling comfortable with their bodies. This may be especially so if they are different from the current ideal. For teenagers rehearsing their imminent adult identities, which will typically include a sexualized cialis professional online Australia self-image, the pressures can be felt especially keenly.
Young people should be valued whatever their physical attributes. It is important to take opportunities to challenge stereotypes and to introduce a diversity of role models, so children learn that it is possible to be popular and attractive even if they look very different from catwalk models or pop stars.
Sexual abuse
Sexual abuse and exploitation of children and young people are now known to be widely prevalent. In 1978 Kempe defined child sex abuse as ‘the involvement of dependent, developmentally immature children and adolescents in sexual activities generic viagra Australia – more information that they do not fully comprehend, to which they are unable to give informed consent or that violate the social taboos of family roles’. However, as Haugaard points out, there continue to be ongoing debates about the definitions of the terms ‘child’, ‘sexual’ and ‘abuse’.
What research there has been into the sexual development of prepubescent children has, in recent years, often been prompted by the need to identify abnormal behaviour as a sign of sexual abuse. Gail Hornor found that what is deemed to be ‘normal’ in child sexual behaviour is determined by the social, cultural and familial context of the times.
Marsha Heiman and colleagues urged professionals to be critically aware of how much their gender and their role may influence and inform their beliefs about what constitutes normal sexual behaviour in children, especially as it may be their judgement about what is considered to be age inappropriate sexual knowledge and behaviour that is a key criterion used to assess allegations of sexual abuse.
Susan Creighton reviewed international studies and found that, in the countries studied, despite variations in the definition of sexual abuse and in the recognition of the problem, between 8 and 42 per cent of girls and 3 to 25 per cent of boys had suffered from some kind of sexual abuse. Sex with children is illegal in most jurisdictions, although the age definition of ‘child’ may vary. Sex tourism, prostitution and child pornography affect millions of children around the world. Most sexual abuse, however, happens within families and it is often not reported. Children with disabilities are four to ten times more vulnerable to sexual abuse than other children and the perpetrators are often those involved in their care.
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