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Differential Gender Perception Of Sexual Abuse Among Adolescents In Secondary Schools
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Fear may also significantly impact an adolescent's likelihood
of reporting sexual abuse case. Among college age women, Fisher,
Cullen, and Turner (2000) noted that 95% of rapes were not reported to
the police. While two-thirds of the victims did tell someone about the
assault, such as a friend, family member, or college official, victims
cited fear that they would be treated hostility by the police (24.7%)
and fear of reprisal by the assailant or others (39.5%) as factors
influencing their decision not to report the crime. Fear may be a
significant barrier to reporting when the perpetrator is a fellow
classmate or peer with whom the victim must interact on a regular basis.
Characteristics
of the abuse experience have also been shown to differ for girls and
boys. It was found that the estimated percentage of male victims’
perpetrators who are themselves male ranges from 18 to 97, depending on
the study, and that the estimated percentage of male perpetrators for
female victims ranges from 80 to 100 ( Dhaliwal, 1996).
Though most
investigations regarding sexual violence occurring among adolescents
target college-age populations, there is growing evidence that sexual
violence in dating and acquaintance relationships may occur among much
younger populations (Beyer &Ogletree, 1998). In 1998 the Centers for
Disease Control and Preventions National Violence Against Women Survey,
which explored the incidence and prevalence of both intimate partner
violence and sexual violence, noted that one out of every six women has
been the victim of rape or attempted rape by the age of 18 (Tjaden and
Thoennes, 1998). Almost one-third (32%) of these assaults took place
between the ages of 12 and 17 years.
Fear may also significantly
impact an adolescent's likelihood of reporting sexual abuse. Among
college age women, Fisher, Cullen, and Turner (2000) noted that 95% of
rapes were not reported to the police. While two-thirds of the victims
did tell someone about the assault, such as a friend, family member, or
college official, victims cited fear that they would be treated
hostility by the police (24.7%) and fear of reprisal by the assailant or
others (39.5%) as factors influencing their decision not to report the
crime. Fear may be a significant barrier to reporting when the
perpetrator is a fellow classmate or peer with whom the victim must
interact on a regular basis.
This is a problem to the society
because the victim that seizes not to report the rape case will be
likely to face isolation from his or her peers.
The most common age
for sexual abuse to begin is age nine. Most sexual abuse is reported by
teenagers, but they have usually been victimized for many years before
finally reporting the abuse. Most sexual abuse, particularly that
involving a continuing relationship or incest, starts before the child
reaches puberty (Daugherty, 2012).
Therefore, considering the gravity
of the problem, this study investigates the differential gender
perception of sexual abuse among adolescents in secondary schools.
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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---
