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Results for "community"
Results
Mitigating Risk
Gap
Interventions, policies and budgets are needed to reduce sexual coercion and rape of both boys and girls, create awareness in communities that violence against children is unacceptable, strengthen child statutory protection systems, and conceptualize and implement appropriate child protection services in developing countries. Access to post-exposure prophylaxis in case of rape when the perpetrator is HIV-positive is also needed. [See also %{c:21}] In most countries of Eastern and Southern Africa, the age of consent for sex is 16. Despite these restrictions, more than 10% of girls have had sexual debut before age 15. A study found that in a sample of more than 1,000 males and more than 1,000 females, large numbers had experienced high rates of physical punishment, emotional abuse and touching of sexual organs when not wanted or sex due to force or coercion prior to age 18 and that incident HIV infections were more common in women who suffered emotional abuse, sexual abuse and physical punishment. Sexual abuse in men was associated with alcohol abuse and depression. Other studies found high rates of sexual coercion and high-risk behaviors among street children. “Few children disclose abuse, fewer still seek services and report to authorities, virtually no children actually receive services and perpetrators rarely suffer consequences” (Sommarin et al., 2014: S213). Most research does not provide adolescent-specific data on violence, instead listing results for ages 15 to 49. Reviews have not found evidence that preventive responses have had an impact on rates of sexual abuse. Effective programs in the US and Canada have not been assessed for adaptation in other countries.
