Health and Fitness

Childhood Sexual Violence Against Boys in Three Countries Underscores Need for Locally Targeted Prevention Strategies


Elk Grove Village, IL—(ENEWSPF)—April 19, 2016.   Sexual abuse against boys has gone largely unexamined, but a new study in the May 2016 issue of Pediatrics compares sexual violence in Haiti, Kenya and Cambodia and suggests that public prevention efforts be tailored locally to each country.

The study, “Childhood Sexual Violence Against Boys: A Study in 3 Countries,” to be published online April 18, found significant differences in the prevalence, characteristics and risk factors for sexual violence reported by males ages 13-24, according to location. In Haiti, 23 percent of males reported experiencing sexual violence before age 18, compared with nearly 15 percent in Kenya and more than 5 percent in Cambodia, the research showed. Those surveyed in all countries reported similar adverse health effects associated with sexual violence, including transactional sex; alcohol abuse; sexually transmitted infections; anxiety/depression; suicidal ideation/attempts; and violent gender attitudes. Males who had experienced prior sexual violence were four times more likely to receive money or goods for sex, and were more likely to believe that a man is justified in beating his wife, the study found. More research is needed to understand the degree to which inter-country variability exists in sexual violence against boys to determine appropriate global and locally-targeted prevention effort.

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The American Academy of Pediatrics is an organization of 64,000 primary care pediatricians, pediatric medical subspecialists and pediatric surgical specialists dedicated to the health, safety and well-being of infants, children, adolescents and young adults. For more information, visit www.aap.org.

Source: http://www.aap.org

 

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