NCJ Number
162968
Date Published
1995
Length
94 pages
Annotation
Commissioned by Australia's National Youth Affairs Research Scheme, this project explored the nature of government and nongovernment program responses to the issue of sexual violence and investigated young people's perceptions of and attitudes toward sexual violence.
Abstract
A survey designed to map program responses to sexual violence throughout Australia was completed by representatives of 40 government and nongovernment agencies. Young people's perceptions and attitudes were investigated at various locations in Queensland and New South Wales; 250 young people between 15 and 18 years of page participated in individual or group interviews, while an additional 228 young people completed questionnaires. Government and nongovernment agencies employed a range of sexual violence definitions, depending on services they provided. Counseling and support services generally used definitions that identified particular client groups, while education and training agencies tended to work with broad definitions of sexual violence as a continuum of behavior linking gender and violence to preserve men's social, political, and economic power over women. Young people explored notions of violence, consent, and the sexual nature of a range of behaviors. There was most agreement about public and clearly defined behaviors such as rape and child molestation. Domestic violence was mentioned, particularly by aboriginal young people. Sexual harassment and homophobic attacks against gay men and lesbians were also discussed. Young people highlighted the media and peer pressure as the two most significant factors contributing to sexual violence. Young people identified women of all ages as potential victims of sexual violence but agreed that the most common victims were younger women and girls. They also identified men and male teenagers as the main sexually violent groups and perceived that sexual violence had devastating effects on victims. Sexual violence was seen as an important issue for young people because of their own vulnerability as members of a high- risk group and because of the silence surrounding the issue. Social institutions, including schools, the media, and the family, played an important role in legitimizing or condemning sexual violence. Young people's knowledge of support services was either limited or nonexistent. Education, prevention, counseling, and support services offered by government and nongovernment agencies are described, along with guiding principles of education and prevention programs. The agency survey and the interview schedule and questionnaire used to obtain information from young people are appended. 151 references, 14 tables, and 1 figure