Sexual and interpersonal violence
are global issues with the capacity to affect anyone regardless of cultural,
gender or social background. This means that sexual and interpersonal violence
are part of the human condition as opposed to being specific to any given
society. Although, how we prevent, discuss, report, treat, punish and
reintegrate in respect to sexual offending will differ based upon geographical
location as well as social context (ESRC
Online Debate 4). We are starting to see an increase in the awareness of
the reality of sexual abuse that transpires intentionally (i.e., in India and the recent
revelations about ISIS).
Recently UNICEF released a report on the degree of sexual and interpersonal
violence globally based on data from 190 countries (Hidden in plain
sight). The data is collected for an array of existing national and
international data sources, not from the creation or distribution of new
surveys. This means that the data is an accumulation of what we already know
and therefore is not necessarily as up to date or rigorous as it could be.
Important factors to keep in mind when examining this type of report, or data
set, are that;
-
the same
data was not available for all 190 countries, so the more developed and data
driven the country is the more it will be represented in the report;
-
different countries record data at different
points and in different ways;
-
there are different terms, categories and
definitions of sexual abuse used in different countries;
-
there are different cultural barriers or sensitivities
surrounding the discussion of sexual abuse in general, but particularly in
regard to certain types of sexual abuse (i.e., male rape) and the gender of
victims (i.e.., girl and female sexual victimisation as opposed boy and male
victimisation).
The data presented in the UNICEF
report therefore comes with its own health warning; it is a snapshot of the
current global picture of sexual and interpersonal violence, not the complete picture.
The key data is available in the report, but I would like to focus on the
sexual abuse data specifically (see chapter 4 of the report for more detail);
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Sexual abuse against children is not just
limited to girls but that boys are impacted too. The report indicates that boys
are subject to sexual violence at a lower level than girls and that boys are an
under recognised population in respect to sexual abuse victimisation (reinforcing
a recent comment by Barnardo’s - independent).
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In the countries where data was available the
majority of children who were victims of sexual abuse where aged between 15 -19
at the time.
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In the countries where data was available the
majority of children who were victims of sexual abuse the perpetrators was an
intimate partner or someone known to them.
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In the countries where data was available the
majority of children who were victims of sexual abuse reported that the abuse
occurred in everyday locations (i.e., the victim’s home, the home of the
perpetrator, home of another known person or on route to a familiar location
with a known person).
-
In the countries where data was available the
majority of girls (15 – 19) who were victims of physical violence where not
necessarily victims of sexual violence in tandem; however, girls who reported
being victims of sexual violence also reported physical violence. This shows a
complex correlation but not causality.
-
In the countries where data was available physical
violence against boys (15-19) outweighed both sexual violence against boys as
well as sexual and physical violence against boys combined.
-
The report indicates that victims of childhood
sexual abuse delay in disclosing their victimisation, if they ever disclose at
all. The reasons for this delayed, or lack, of disclosure includes fear of
reprisals, feels of guilt and/or shame, lack of confidence and lack of
awareness of support services available to them.
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The report indicates that in some countries
girls (15 – 19) are less likely to seek help and support than adult women, with
boys and men seeking less help across the board than girls or women.
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In respect to online sexual victimisation the
report indicates that children are continuing to become more internet savvy,
that children feel more comfortable in sharing inmate information online and
feel safer online than previous generations. The report indicates that girls
are more likely to be groomed online, that older children are more likely to be
groomed online compared to younger children and that all children find it
harder to differentiate online between “strangers” and “virtual friends”.
-
The report highlights a recent shift in
terminology with many governments adopting “child abuse images” as opposed to
“child pornography”.
-
The report highlights a recent increase, as
reported by governments, in the volume and variety of images, recordings as well
as the live streaming of child sexual abuse.
The data in this report
reinforces what we already know from the academic literature and the government
statistics about the prevalence as well as reporting of sexual abuse. In doing
so the report reinforces that sexual abuse is a global issue and that the same
types of sexual abuse problems arise globally regardless of location and/or
culture. Hence, the issues surrounding child sexual abuse that we deal with on
a day to day are not just western issues (albeit the specificity of them maybe)
but global ones. The report comes with an additional document highlighting six
strategies for action in responding to violence against children, including
sexual abuse, which highlights the need for changing social norms, better
education and support (for children, families and caregivers) as well as the
need for better evidence based policy. These strategies are things that we can
sign up to and are already doing in our own work, but what the report does is
remind us that we need to be discussing these issues and sharing good practice
internationally.
Kieran McCartan PhD
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