Sex with minors

Heather Little-White, PhD, Contributor

The practice of adults having sex with minors is widespread in cultures across the world. It may take many forms - from child pornography to rape and child trafficking. Most cultures view as 'taboo' sex between adults and minors, and sexual offences against minors carry strong penalties in most countries.

Can you imagine an eight-year-old girl playfully on her way home from school when she is kidnapped, raped then often murdered? How would you react if you discovered that your 'friendly' neighbour was enticing your daughter to visit his house so he could have sex with her when his wife was not home and give her money to prevent her from talking? What if you discovered that your 12-year-old son was having sex with his nine-year-old cousin? Or that your helper had initiated your 16-year-old son in 'first' sex?

Reasons

All the scenarios above are sexual acts with minors. There are many reasons why an adult engages in sex with a minor.

The child does not have the emotional or psychological maturity to understand what is happening and to make an informed decision about the sexual activity.

The adult takes advantage of the child's vulnerability, especially when the child may not have received enough love and nurturing, especially if the adult has already had a relationship with the child.

Taking advantage of the child initiates sexual contact or demonstrates enjoyment with the activity in order to get attention and gain acceptance.

Sex with a minor may serve the paedophile's distorted needs.

Effects on children

As we celebrate Child Month, sex with minors and the effects these acts can have on children comes into focus. These may be sexual, psychological, emotional, social and interpersonal, resulting in:

Self-doubt

Depression

Promiscuity

Lewdness

Juvenile delinquency

When child victims become adults, they may lead a troubled life, with sexual confusion and suicidal tendencies. They may experience sexual addiction, love addiction, sexual anorexia and may even engage in sex crimes. Former victims may become child molesters, exhibitionists or voyeurs (peeping Toms).

Deviant sex

Deviant sexual behaviour is acting in ways which are inappropriate. Though sexual deviance may vary in cultures, it is commonly agreed that acts like rape, exposing one's genitals to disapproving strangers and sexual harassment are objectionable. Deviant sexual behaviour includes paraphilia, which is sexual attraction toward objects, rituals and people, including children, to satisfy sexual desire. Common paraphalia includes fetishes, sadism, masochism, bondage and discipline, exhibitionism and transvestism.

Childhood sexual abuse

Incest: Children are often victims of incest, which is sexual interaction between adults and children who are closely related (family members), e.g. brothers and sisters, fathers and daughters, uncles and nieces and mothers and sons.

Paedophile: Paedophiles are adults who are sexually attracted to children and will make attempts to molest them for sexual pleasure.

The aggressive paedophile may desire to torture his/her victims during sexual interaction and may even end up killing them.

Pederasts are men who are usually attracted to young heterosexual boys.

Sex play

As children develop, they become curious about their sexuality and may 'play house' involving sex occurring spontaneously and naturally. When the age difference is more than four years, negative effects are more likely and may end up in prolonged sexual abuse. When parents punish children caught in sex play, children may end up experiencing guilt and other negative feelings about sex.

Teen sex

Teen sex, or 'Romeo and Juliet' sex, is commonly practised, as several teens seek much younger partners during their pubescent years. A 15-year-old may coerce an eight-year-old in his neighbourhood to giving him oral sex in his parent's house or even in a school bathroom.

Ease on punishment

According to USA Today (www.usatoday.com), several states in America are moving to ease laws that punish teens who have consensual sex with underage partners. The legal age of consent varies from 14-18, depending on the state. When teens under the age of consent agree to have sex with each other, they may now be exempted from conviction if the age difference is no more than four years and the youngest is at least 13.

Relaxation of the laws may mean that they will no longer be required to register as a sex offender in the state. Some states are moving to punish the predators instead of irresponsible teens, as it is believed that placing teens on a public registry may do more harm than good. Some states are passing tougher laws on sex offenders with longer minimum sentences, lifetime electronic monitoring and even the death penalty.

Sex at thirteen

Sex with minors may be used in a positive way. While more than 80 countries in the world have 18 as the age of consent, in Japan, the age of consent is 13, and sex with minors is even encouraged. To the rest of the world this is a strange practice. A doctor offering sex counselling in Japan believes that children need to learn about sex and how to avoid sex. Data from the doctor's clinic indicated that a 12-year-old had showed up at the clinic with venereal disease which she had contracted from sleeping with older men for money. Several persons have come to praise the children for helping out with Japan's declining population rate (www.weirdasianews.com).

Sex with a minor is an unhealthy sexual practice that seems to become more pervasive as more variations are added to the range of sexual acts including minors.

Send feedback/questions to Heather Little-White at heatherl@cwjamaica.com.