Children and young people who display sexually harmful behaviours
Last updated: October 7, 2008
Table of Contents
1. Introduction
While sexual exploration and experimentation are a normal part of childhood and adolescent development, there are situations in which children and young people are sexually harmed by other children and young people. Clearly sexually harmful behaviour is different to normal sexual development.
In recent years there has been growing awareness and understanding of the incidence of sexually harmful behaviour by children and young people. Researchers have estimated that between a third and a quarter of child sexual offending is committed by young people less than 18 years, the peak age for these offences being 15 years of age, with males accounting for 97% of the offences. However this does not take in to account the inappropriate sexual behaviour carried out by children under 10 years; these children are below the age of criminal responsibility and hence do not come to the attention of the Criminal Justice System.
The primary objective of all work with children and young people who display sexually harmful behaviour must be the protection of victims and the prevention of a repetition of the sexually harmful behaviour.
It may be that children and young people who display sexually harmful behaviour towards others may have:
- suffered considerable disruption in their lives
- been exposed to violence within the family
- may have witnessed or been subjected to physical or sexual assault
- have problems with their educational development
- may have committed other non sexual offences.
Such young people are likely to be children in need and some in addition will be suffering or be at risk of suffering significant harm and may themselves be in need of protection.
Children and young people who display sexually harmful behaviour are often not emotionally mature and cannot therefore be treated in the same way as adults who have been abusing for years. Young people are still developing and testing out their sexual feelings and understanding. Early intervention in cases of harmful sexual behaviour can assist this development and channel it in a more positive way, that enables such young people to adopt a healthy development pathway and proceed to make healthy peer relationships.
It is essential that children and young people who are involved in sexually harmful behaviours are properly and consistently assessed in order to establish the extent, the nature and the antecedents of the behaviour.
