Knowing Conditions of Vulnerability of Adolescents that Committed Sexual Offense
Andrea Schettino Tavares*
Mehmet Akif İnan Training and Research Hospital Şanlıurfa, Turkey
Submission: January 14, 2020; Published: January 24, 2020
*Corresponding author: Andrea Schettino Tavares, Clinical Psychology and Culture Postgraduate Program, Brasília University (PSICC/PCL/IP/UnB), Brasilia, DF, Brazil
How to cite this article: Andrea Schettino Tavares. Knowing Conditions of Vulnerability of Adolescents that Committed Sexual Offense. Open Access J 00108 Neurol Neurosurg. 2020; 12(5): 555846. DOI: 10.19080/OAJNN.2020.12.555846.
Abstract
The purpose of this text is to discuss the adverse conditions juvenile sexual offenders may face. In order to better understand this scenario, it is important to consider the violence suffered by this group in childhood and adolescence, added to the vulnerabilities of family, social and cultural contexts typical of disadvantaged social strata commons in countries such as Brazil. Experiencing child maltreatment increases the likelihood that an adolescent will later commit transgressive acts. An adolescent that commits a sexual offense needs to receive appropriate attention and for this it is essential to deepen the knowledge about this adolescent, considering their culture and contexts in which they are inserted. Assessing whether adolescents who have committed sexual offenses have vulnerabilities in different contexts may have a function to direct interventions to focal aspects that need greater change, preventing further violence, guaranteeing their rights and enhancing the development of these adolescents’ resources to move on.
Keywords: Juvenile sexual offender Adolescence sexual offense Vulnerabilities Context
Introduction
The purpose of this text is to discuss the adverse conditions juvenile sexual offenders may face. In order to better understand this scenario, it is important to consider the violence suffered by this group in childhood and adolescence, added to the vulnerabilities of family, social and cultural contexts typical of disadvantaged social strata commons in countries such as Brazil. Adolescence is a period of human development in which significant and striking transformations occur [1]. These changes are biological, physical, emotional and relational, and develop differently for each individual and must be understood according to the socio-historical-cultural context in which they are inserted - thus being a unique development process for each person [2]. The various aspects that make up adolescence should be considered together, not as isolated factors, for understanding adolescent development [3].
Sexual offense is a complex and multifactorial public health issue [4,5]. The offensive sexual act provides the perpetrator sexual gratification and may or may not have carnal contact and other types of violence (physical, psychological, threat, coercion) [6]. It is also important to consider, in the configuration of each offense, the psychosexual development difference between the perpetrator and the victim, as well as hierarchical and powerrelationships [7]. Experiencing child maltreatment increases the likelihood that an adolescent will later commit transgressive acts [8]. Another factor that contributes to this type of behavior is a context permeated by vulnerabilities such as unprotected family environment with interparental conflicts, lack of parental authority and supervision, confusion of family members’ roles, poor communication and rights violations [9]. In addition, this context further contributes to the victimization of children or adolescents by various violence’s, reiterating the relationship between context and violence that increases the chances of a teenager committing an offensive act [10].
Considering researches that point out the suffering and victimization in childhood and the relationship of these experiences with the practice of offensive acts, it is important to understand the history of each adolescent, their context and possible vulnerabilities present for an intervention to be performed properly. In this sense, [11] built an instrument to measure the victimization suffered in childhood and adolescence. The objective of the instrument is to point out the various forms of victimization suffered and the consequences of such violence, providing a comprehensive view, considering the following dimensions: conventional crime, child maltreatment, peer/siblingvictimization, sexual victimization and testimony and indirect victimization[12]. This instrument is a tool that can assist in assessing vulnerabilities present in an adolescent’s life.
Conclusion
An adolescent that commits a sexual offense needs to receive appropriate attention and for this it is essential to deepen the knowledge about this adolescent, considering their culture and contexts in which they are inserted. The assessment of the conditions of vulnerability in which the adolescent that committed sexual offense is inserted is particularly important in Brazil, since it is a country with low rates of education and presence of social inequalities. Assessing whether adolescents who have committed sexual offenses have vulnerabilities in different contexts may have a function to direct interventions to focal aspects that need greater change, preventing further violence, guaranteeing their rights and enhancing the development of these adolescents’ resources to move on.
Acknowledgement
Professor Liana Fortunato Costa for the contribution with expertise and time to this study.
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