Oral paper presentation at the Asia Pacific Conference for Child Abuse and Neglect 2015, Royale Chulan, Kuala Lumpur (26.10.2015) organised by ISPCAN

1. CHILDREN AND YOUNG
PEOPLE DISPLAYING
SEXUAL BEHAVIOUR
PROBLEMS
To guide or to punish?
Roslinya A. Latip, Lancaster University
ladyeena@gmail.com
MONDAY 26.10.2015

2. sexual behaviour
problems
vs. sexual offense
Background of the study
statistic
svictim survey
retrospective study
official police record
terminolog
y
public
perception
myths vs.
facts

3. The research
 Fully qualitative approach, using Straussian
Grounded Theory approach - 'what happens in
today's practice with children and young
people displaying a range of SBPs?’
 Interviews, 44 practitioners across the UK – YOTs,
Children’ Social Care Service, private practice (P1
– P44)
 Documents, 67 Child Protection Procedures from
LSCBs and agencies in the UK – sexually active
young people, young people displaying sexually
harmful behaviour, allegations arising from sexually
active young people under the age of 18 (D1 –
D67)
 GT Analysis – a series of coding activities (open,
axial and selective) and constant comparison

4. Children and young people
displaying
sexual behaviour problems
to guide or to punish?

5. It is fundamental, in the first instance, to
understand this. We work with children, and
some of them are very young, as young as 3 or 4
years old. Others might be older, but unlike an
adult, they don't have the capability to
understand the consequences resulting from their
behaviour. You have to get this right, then only
you can understand the nature of our work with
young people - Participant 17

6. The finding
the core philosophy
Children first approach
Individual
uniqueness
Holistic
approach
Early
intervention
Towards
desistence

7. Rethinking
everything
One thing that people always get it wrong;
we do not punish children for what they
have done. We don't tell what is wrong,
what is right. That's not essentially what we
do. Instead, we provide basis for them, to
learn pro-social behaviours and to un-learn
from what's considered as ‘inappropriate
behaviours’ - Participant 16

8. Children and young people
displaying
sexual behaviour problems
without minimising the
effect of abuse to the victim(s)to guide

9. Where do we go from here?
... It is therefore important that reports of
apparently abusive/inappropriate sexual
behaviour by a child or young person are taken
seriously and responded to appropriately. The
earlier the identification of the sexually abusive
behaviour, the greater the potential for
intervention before it has the potential to develop
further and become more entrenched – D20
Some recommendatio
research
prevention
public awareness
support system

10. ISPCAN Asia Pacific Regional Conference on Child Abuse and
Neglect
Monday 26.10.2015
Any question?
Thank you
Question/comment/feedback:
ladyeena@gmail.com