Challenges of Childhood Sexuality and Sexual Assaults Among Children: Case Reports and Review of Literature Amidst Ethical Concerns

Abstract

The incidences of sexual encounters among children is at the least not expected to occur as most children are especially protected by their parents and/or guardians. Children are not expected to know anything about sex nor anything related to or resembling sexual encounters not to talk of its real engagements and occurrences. Children are supposed to be pure, clean and innocent, spared from the scars of sexual assaults and immorality. Sexual assaults among children are perhaps not a common problem nor occurrence. This is not expected to happen, or at least not reported/under-reported for what they actually are or at worse not recognized for what the acts truly are. Adult witness maybe in self-denials not believing what they are seeing nor hearing as childhood period is a period of near total innocence and close parental supervision that are expected to be in place would ensure that no child should be aware of any sexual-indicated activities. But this expectation often is deflected by an out-of-the-bloc, once in a while, report that puts everyone on the alert. That is what is expected by the narration of these short case reports. Modern norms around intimacy have tended to include ideas that sexuality is private, domestic and adult only. However, much debate about child sexuality has focused on child abuse rather than children's own sexual activities. This article attempts to highlight the hidden problems that may exist in the world of these supposed innocent ones, and for adults to be aware that such indecent acts are possible even among our children.