There is little evidence to support the assumption that the majority
of juvenile sexual offenders are destined to become adult sexual
offenders [...]
Perhaps it is time to emphasize some flexibility and compassion in
which treatments we choose and to which individual youngsters we apply
them and to realize that individual need, not dogma, should dictate what
must be accomplished.
Ethical Treatment for All Youth
- Advocating for the humane and just treatment of children and
teenagers
accused of violating sex laws - http://www.ethicaltreatment.org/index.htm
We have encountered young teenagers (13 to 15) who, as part of their
treatment, have been compelled to recite daily creeds including phrases such as 'I am
a
pedophile and am not fit to live in human society' ... These incidents cannot be
dismissed as isolated examples of overly zealous practice but are directly derived from an
uncritical application of prevailing treatment models.
Critics point to the boy's case as an example of a child put
into
the program without cause, who was treated with inappropriate and potentially
dangerous methods, and who may have become violent as a result ...
ACLU urges 'compassion' when charging 'sexting' teens
- Kim Wendel, www.wkyc.com, date
unknown
The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) of Ohio sent letters
to
all county prosecutors and members of the Ohio General Assembly today,
calling on them to respect sex offender laws and the role of law and not
impose heavy-handed charges on "sexting" teens. [...]
"While teens should be educated on the consequences of
distributing nude
photos, imposing these harsh sentences and punishments will only further
destroy harm young lives."
The Myth of Lost Innocence - Judith Warner, New York Times, January 29, 2009
Teen pregnancy is so high in America compared to other
places not just because of access to contraception but because we have a
lot of poverty. But Americans don't want to see themselves as a
poor
society. They want to make a moral argument: if only teens had better
values.
We - the adults in this society - are "a mess." I think
it's time to stop projecting our dysfunction onto our children.
The "Teen Sex Slave" Scams
- ABC's Primetime Fakery - Debbie Nathan, www.counterpunch.org,
February 17, 2006
Most of these new "trafficking" victims are
runaways
and throwaways: often minorities, often poor, and often gay. No
matter that they are seldom kidnapped or forced into prostitution,
rarely fit the image of the girl next door, usually don't think of
themselves as "trafficking victims," and typically distrust
the
police.
Absurdity of U.N. treaty on child's rights
- Michael Farris, WorldNetDaily, May 4, 2009
Under this treaty, every decision made about children - whether by
government or parents - is subject to governmental review. Armed
with
the CRC, any social worker can second guess any parent based on an
opinion that the parents' choice was not in the "best
interest" of the
child. Under this subjective standard, no family is safe from
governmental intrusion.
Unless we fully intend to comply with the U.N. treaty's radical
dictates, our Senate must reject the Convention on the Rights of the
Child.
Lowering the unrealistic age of consent will help teens
- Peter Tatchell, The Independent (UK), March 10, 2008
The time has come for a calm, rational debate about the age of
consent. [...]
The present Irish age limit of 17 makes abuse more likely by
reinforcing
the idea that young people under 17 have no sexual rights.
This sexual disempowerment of young people plays into the hands of
adults who want to abuse them. Guilt and shame about sex also increase
the likelihood of molestation by encouraging the furtiveness and secrecy
on which abuse thrives.
Marshall: Let 13-year-olds have
sex - Tom Gordon; Times Online, UK, May 11, 2008 - Scotland's
children's commissioner thinks sex between 13 to 15-year-olds should be
decriminalised as part of a reform of rape and sexual assault laws
SCOTLAND'S children's
commissioner is calling for the age of consent to be lowered to 13 for
sexual partners of similar ages.
Kathleen Marshall thinks 13 to 15-year-olds who have sex with each
other should not be criminalised.
Ephebophilia: it's today's word, and it matters
- When is underage sex under age? Carol Sarler, The Times Online, UK, November 20, 2006
I grant you ephebophilia is not a word that would sit easily in
a News of the World headline but the distinction is actually important.
Go Dutch - A Practice Sample
- Youth and Sexuality in the Netherlands - Frans E J Gieles, PhD, the Netherlands
- Paper (to be) presented at the 19th
World Congress for Sexual Health, World Association of Sexology,
Göteborg, Sweden, June 2009
Dutch society generally does not see
sexual expression by children and teenagers as problematic, except where
coercion or exploitation are involved. In those cases, the perpetrators
get rather treatment than punishment.
The Dutch are very open about sex.
Sexual education starts at the age of toddlers. Contacts with the
mothers are open and intimate, those with the fathers are
friendly.
Children have much privacy. Contraceptives are easily to obtain. [...]
Most of the Dutch youth have good sexual ethics and act along those
lines. [...]
The Netherlands has very low rates of abortion, young unmarried mothers
and venereal disease.
Why are
Dutch children so happy? - By Kathryn Westcott, BBC News
website, Feb 14, 2007
Dutch children have been rated the
most fortunate children in Europe. [...] The Netherlands has come top
of a league table for child well-being across 21 industrialised
countries. [...]
The Dutch are famous for their liberal attitudes towards drinks, drugs
and sex.
"Because parents are more relaxed, the dynamics of the problems
are less severe than in countries where they are seen as more of a
serious issue," [...]
"I think in England, for example, there is a lot of pressure on
teenagers. There is something on MTV called Virgin Diaries. Girls of
16 and 17 worry because they are still virgins. It's like they have to
have sex to be cool," she says." In Holland, it isn't that
important - it doesn't matter to anyone."
