Amid the din of the most extreme cases of sexual assault making the daily news, instances of children or adolescents engaging in problematic sexual behaviours (PSB) with other children are barely a blip on the radar. Unless, of course, it ticks off all the boxes to make it “news-worthy” — a child born from sibling abuse, teenagers ganging up to abuse a younger child over a period of time, or a child with a disability “acting out” or young children being sexually precocious with peers.
However, when such cases emerge, due to current perceptions that conflate developmentally appropriate sexual behaviour with offending (due to blinkered legislation), responses swing from being overly retributive and punitive, to merely offering generic “counselling”.
For instance, in 2022 in Tamil Nadu, four Class 6 boys were booked under the POCSO Act for engaging in what turned out to be sexual experimentation (the rare instance of accurate media reporting) with a female classmate. Yet, last September, when a Class 6 girl, also in TN, was repeatedly sexually assaulted by two boys from Class 9 and 10, the Juvenile Justice Board, that adjudicates cases involving children in conflict with law, “counselled” the boys and sent them home.
Given that conditions allowing for such behaviour are in a state of flux, potentially enabling an increase of such cases, reflection and recalibration of the responses to them is imperative. The current responses also reflect a complete dismissal of sexuality and agency of adolescent girls behaving in developmental appropriate ways as they are only ever perceived as hapless victims. It is important to note that gender is not a differentiator – either as “perpetrator” or “victim”.
Globally, there has been a gradual shift in the lens through which children and young people with PSB are seen - from viewing them as “juvenile sex offenders” towards understanding their behaviour in terms of childhood sexual development. This has been accompanied by a change in language from stigmatising terms that pathologise or stereotype to more child-centred language that acknowledges the behaviour as the problem, not the children themselves. There has also been a movement from a focus on treatment and adjudication, to prevention and early intervention. This is a shift we need to make in India as well.
We need evidence-based responses that specifically address the sexually offending aspect of the behavior, with a focus on providing support in helping youngsters understand their sexual behaviour and the impact it has on themselves and others. This is important not just for rehabilitation and reintegration, but also prevention of any other sexual harm.
The lives of children and adolescents are immersed in technology, online spaces and digital communication irrespective of socioeconomic demography. Yet, India remains mired in strong taboos around sex and sexuality, and promotes patriarchal views that men and boys are irreproachable. It is within this contradiction that children and adolescents have to navigate their confusions, curiosity and questions about what they encounter online.
The abdication of responsibility by adults to speak to children and adolescents about sex and sexuality, pushes them to seek this “education” in pornography, much of which is violent, aggressive, sexist and does not prioritise safe sexual health practices. Without safe spaces or guidance, they often jump to experimentation, which could be harmful, with other children, often without a clear understanding of boundaries or the consequences.
Children and adolescents with sexual behaviour bordering on being problematic, are a complex group with diverse needs. Research has shown that sexual behaviours displayed by children and young people lie on a continuum ranging from normative and explorative behaviours to those that are problematic, or harmful which should inform concerned stakeholders so they may intervene suitably.
Continuum of behaviour
The green sections show behaviours typical to the developmental stage of the child and involve mutual consent and shared decision-making. The yellow sections represent behaviours that are one-off instances, inappropriate for the stage of development of the child, where consent might be unclear. The red sections represent behaviours that are intrusive, have a power imbalance, include coercion or violence, and are without consent.
Footnote is a weekly column that discusses issues relating to Tamil Nadu
(Vidya Reddy is executive director of Tulir - Centre for Prevention and Healing of Child Sexual Abuse and Sannuthi Suresh is its programme coordinator)