-
Differential Gender Perception Of Sexual Abuse Among Adolescents In Secondary Schools
CHAPTER ONE -- [Total Page(s) 5]
Page 1 of 5
-
-
-
CHAPTER ONE
INTRODUCTION
1.1 Background to the Study
Over
the last three decades, researchers, clinicians, and other health
advocates have explored the incidence, prevalence, and consequences of
sexual violence occurring within the context of domestically violent
relationships, including adult marital and cohabiting relationships.
Until recently, sexually based crimes occurring within adolescent
acquaintance and dating relationships have gone largely unnoticed
(Wordes& Nunez, 2002). In fact, most research, education, and
preventative measures with adolescent populations have largely been
related to sexual violence perpetrated by a parent or caregiver (
Stufflebeam, D. L. 2003). However, increased inquiry into rape and
sexual assault among our nation's youth, such as the National Council on
Crime and Delinquency's review of victimization of teenagers
(Wordes& Nunez, 2002) and the U.S. Department of Justices' (USDOJ)
evaluation of Sexual Victimization of College Women (Fisher, Cullen, and
Turner, 2000), has focused attention on the nature and consequences of
sexual violence occurring within our adolescent population. This
attention has resulted in the inclusion of two Healthy People 2010
objectives that relate specifically to reducing rape, attempted rape,
and sexual assault among children and adolescent in Nigeria.
The
World Health Organization (WHO), in the World Report on Violence and
Health (Krug, Dahlberg, Mercy, Zwi, & Lozano, 2002), defined sexual
violence as: Any sexual act, attempt to obtain a sexual act, unwanted
sexual comments or advances, or acts to traffic, or otherwise directed,
against a persons sexuality using coercion, by any person, regardless of
their relationship to the victim, in any setting, including but not
limited to home and work. Sexual violence may include attempted and/or
completed rape, sexual coercion and harassment, sexual contact with
force or threat of force, and threat of rape (Fisher, Cullen, and
Turner, 2000; WHO, 2002). According to the American Academy of
Pediatrics (AAP), adolescents are more likely to experience sexually
violent crimes than any other age group (AAP, 2001). In fact, greater
than half of all victims of sexual crimes, including rape and sexual
assault, are women under the age of 25 years. The National Crime Victim
Survey (2000) noted that adolescent females age 16-19 are four times
more likely than the general population to report sexual assault, rape,
and attempted rape. Often this violence occurs within the context of
dating or acquaintance relationships, with the female partner the likely
victim of violence and the male partner the likely perpetrator.
However, other forms of sexual violence occurring among our nations
youth, including sexual violence in gay and lesbian relationships,
sexual violence perpetrated as hate crimes, and sexual violence as a
form of hazing, while not included in this review, should not be
disregarded.
Sexual abuse experienced in childhood or adolescence is
a developmental stressor that can have profound, long-term physiologic
and psychosocial effects (Banyard, Williams, & Siegel, 2001;
Cicchetti & Rogosch, 2001; DeBellis, 2001). It has been associated
with a variety of health-compromising behaviours and health problems,
often considered attempts to cope with the trauma engendered by the
abuse (Barker & Musick, 1994; Finkelhor & Browne, 1985;
Hutchinson & Langlykke, 1997).
Over the last decade, there has
been a growing interest in the partnering of adolescent females with
older adult males, often referred to as adult-teen sex (Donovan, 1997;
Elstein& Davis, 1997; Harner, Burgess, & Asher, 2001; Lindberg,
Sonenstein, Ku, and Martinez , 1997.) While most adult women do partner
with slightly older males, application of this social norm to adolescent
females has been linked to an increased risk for victimization,
including physical and sexual violence. Furthermore, imbalances in power
and control, financial resources, levels of life experience, and even
physical strength and stature may place younger females partnered with
adult males at risk for experiencing unplanned and unprotected sex,
unwanted pregnancy, and exposure to sexually transmitted infections,
including HIV and AIDS. While partnering with an older male may be
considered consensual in nature to the female, her peers, and possibly
her family, sexual relationships with significantly older males may meet
the legal definition of statutory rape. As such, several teen advocacy
and pregnancy prevention programs have called for increased utilization
of existing statutory rape laws to aid in the prosecution and punishment
of adult men who have sex with adolescent females (Harner, Burgess,
& Asher, 2001).
CHAPTER ONE -- [Total Page(s) 5]
Page 1 of 5
-
-
ABSRACT - [ Total Page(s): 1 ]The study investigated the differential gender perception of sexual abuse among adolescents in secondary schools. Experimental design was used in order to assess the opinions of the respondent with the use of questionnaire to deduce responses from the participants. One hundred and twenty (120) students were selected randomly from three senior secondary schools in the Local government of the study. The instrument utilized for the study was Self designed Questionnaire. Five hypotheses were postula ... Continue reading---
