Monique Rainford

A few weeks ago, I was exposed to the email mentioned in a Gleaner article with attached material showing intercourse between students at a high school. I was shocked and sickened by the parts of the email that I saw.

As a physician and, in particular a gynaecologist, a few issues came to mind. One such was the psychological make up of the young lady who would agree to have sex in such a public place whether or not she knew that the event was filmed, and the young boy, was he also a victim himself or a sexual offender. Could they both be victims of sexual abuse or some other form of childhood abuse?

I recall during my first year in private practice in Jamaica, a young lady came into my office; she was under 18 years and she reported that she was a victim of childhood sexual abuse from her stepfather. She had no confidence in the group homes for such victims because she believed that it was worse than her present situation. She wanted me to help. I made inquires and suggested an alternative facility. I must admit I felt powerless to help her. However, it is clear that we all need to continue to try our best to decrease these offences and improve the long-term prognosis of these children.

Childhood sexual abuse affects about one per cent of children in the United States every year and it is a very prevalent condition in Jamaica. Unfortunately, at this time, our prevalence data is not available but with mandatory reporting this is likely to change in the near future. Available data suggest that men are the abusers most of the times. Up to half of the abusers of girls are family members and adolescents are the offenders in more than 20 per cent of cases.

Obscene telephone calls

Some teenage sex offenders use the telephone to make obscene calls. - File

Adolescent sexual offenders are teenagers between the ages of 13-17 who perform illegal sexual behaviour, including intercourse or acts such as even obscene telephone calls. They are more likely to be male than female and the victims are more likely to be females. The cause of this behaviour is unknown but children who are physically abused are more likely to exhibit this behaviour. Other associated factors include alcohol or other drug abuse, family difficulties, a history of sexual abuse and exposure to pornographic material.

Victims of sexual abuse are more likely to become promiscuous and have thoughtless sexual acts. The younger that a girl starts having consensual sex, the more likely it is that she had been forced to have sex in the first instance. Some health conditions in adult women can be linked to a history of childhood sexual abuse. These include chronic pelvic (belly bottom) pain, certain eating disorders such as anorexia nervosa, depression and anxiety. It can also have a very negative effect on a woman's self esteem. It addition, it may affect her ability to form normal, healthy adult relationships.

Seek counselling

If a parent is concerned that their daughter is being sexually abused or is sexually active they should consider taking her to the doctor for evaluation. Unfortunately, a physical exam does not always confirm sexual abuse even in young girls. However, the visit may facilitate counselling and testing for sexual transmitted infections. If she is an older girl, the consultation may help to clarify whether she considered the act consensual or rape. In Jamaica, it is illegal for anyone to have sex with a girl who is under the age of 16.

If a woman is suffering because she had been abused in the past she should consult her doctor or church to assist in getting the appropriate counselling.

Dr Monique Rainford is a consulting obstetrician and gynaecologist; email: yourhealth@gleanerjm.com.