Sexualisation of Young People Review

Sexualisation of Young People Review
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A recent Home Office survey found
that 36 per cent of people believed
that a woman should be held wholly
or partly responsible for being sexually
assaulted or raped if she was drunk,
while 26 per cent believed a woman
should accept at least part of the
blame for an attack if she was out
in public wearing sexy or revealing
clothes. 47
Young people, sexual
bullying and violence
32. The shocking results of a recent survey
carried out by the NSPCC show
that for many young people, violence
within relationships is commonplace –
one in three teenage girls aged 13–17
had been subjected to unwanted
sexual acts while in a relationship,
and one in four had suffered physical
violence. And, although both sexes are
experiencing partner violence, girls are
suffering more as a result. A significant
proportion of the girls surveyed stated
that the violence had seriously affected
their welfare; for boys, there appeared
to be few consequences. NSPCC’s
Head of Child Protection Awareness
Chris Cloke has described this as
evidence of a ‘culture of confusion
about what is acceptable among
girls and boys living in today’s highly
sexualised landscape.’
33. In gangs, rape and sexual assault is
increasingly becoming the weapon
of choice. Assaulting a girl is used
not only to assert power over the
girl herself, but also over those who
associate with her. And although gangs
make up only a small part of society in
the UK, the use of violence as a means
to punish and control is not just in the
domain of sub-cultures – as shown by
the results from the NSPCC survey
on teen partner violence. It seems that
notions of power and control over the
47
Home Office (2009)
female body, and the pressure on boys
to conform to a hyper-masculine ideal,
are having a very real effect on young
people’s day-to-day lives.
34. There is growing evidence from
educational and social scientists that
girls are facing increasing sexism
in the playground and classroom.
Researchers have indicated that cases
of sexual harassment and forms
of gendered and sexualised name
calling and bullying may be on the
rise in both primary and secondary
48, 49
schools.
Pornography and sexual
aggression
35. Pornography shapes young people’s
sexual knowledge but does so by
portraying sex in unrealistic ways.
The nature of online pornography is
changing: it is increasingly dominated
by themes of aggression, power and
control, blurring the lines between
consent, pleasure and violence. 50
36. Advances in technology are making
pornography more and more
accessible to children and young
people. There is consistent and
reliable evidence that exposure to
pornography is related to male sexual
aggression against women. Prolonged
exposure increases the likelihood
of consuming material that depicts
either potentially ‘harmful’ or, what
the UK government labels, ‘extreme’ 51
sexual behaviours such as violent
sex, sadomasochism and bestiality.
High pornography use is not in itself
an indicator of high risk for sexual
aggression. However, adults who
48
Duncan (2004); Renold, (2003); Ringrose (2008)
49
Please note, this figure does not include the
total number of permanent exclusion in primary
and special school settings
50
Hanson and Tyd´en (2005); Dines (2008)
51
McGlynn, Ward and Rackley (2009)