Infant and Child Sexuality: A Sociological Perspective - Ipce
Infant and Child Sexuality: A Sociological Perspective - Ipce
Infant and Child Sexuality: A Sociological Perspective - Ipce
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fully initiated but not yet married, takes a boy ten or twelve years<br />
old, who lives with him as a wife for several years, until the older<br />
man marries. The boy must belong to the proper marriage class from whom<br />
the man might take a wife.<br />
A sexual encounter between preadolescent girls <strong>and</strong> adults among the<br />
Ponape occasions the “treatment” designed to lengthen the labia minora<br />
<strong>and</strong> to enlarge the clitoris. (Ford <strong>and</strong> Beach, 1951, p. 176). Black ants<br />
are put in the vulva; their stinging causes the labia <strong>and</strong> the clitoris<br />
to swell. The procedures are repeated.<br />
Among the Lepcha older men occasionally copulate with girls as<br />
young as eight years of age. (Ford <strong>and</strong> Beach, 1951, p. 191). Instead of<br />
being regarded as a criminal offense, such behavior is considered amusing.<br />
Girls of Basutol<strong>and</strong>, South Africa, are expected to attire themselves<br />
with rings of braided grass <strong>and</strong> cowhide, <strong>and</strong> white clay rubbed<br />
on their bodies <strong>and</strong> legs. These young girls are first instructed for a<br />
period of some weeks in the details of sexual intercourse, after which<br />
they are circumcised--that is, the clitoris is amputated. This is done<br />
to prevent them from engaging in promiscuous sexual activity when they<br />
are married. As part of this rite, they act out coital positions with<br />
each other. (“Curiosities,” Sexology, XXX, February 1964, p. 466).<br />
In Western societies sexual encounters between preadolescents <strong>and</strong><br />
adults often involve the adult male exhibiting his genitals, commonly<br />
in the presence of girls. In many cases the exhibitionist also masturbates<br />
in the presence of the younger person. It is by no means common<br />
for girls who grow up in an urban environment to encounter such exhibitionists.<br />
(Moll, 1913; Halleck, April 1962).<br />
Many preadolescents have had direct physical encounters with older<br />
persons as well. Halleck, in a United States study found that 35 percent<br />
of a sample of girls had been involved in sexual encounters with<br />
adult males that had resulted in their being h<strong>and</strong>led or in other ways<br />
molested. Reevy (1967) reports that of 4,441 female subjects studied,<br />
24 percent had had experiences during the period of preadolescence in<br />
which adult males had established sexual contacts with them or appeared<br />
to be making approaches. In 31 percent of the cases reporting<br />
sexual approaches the adult patted the child but did not manipulate the<br />
sex organs, but in 22 percent of the cases there was physical manipulating.<br />
Often I visited an in-laws’ house <strong>and</strong> stayed<br />
overnight. When I was twelve, I awoke from a<br />
happy dream to discover that I was being fondled<br />
by her seventy year old father. I told him<br />
to stop immediately. He kept asking if he could<br />
do it one more time. I told him if he touched me<br />
I’d scream.<br />
Presently the man came over <strong>and</strong> sat next to me.<br />
It didn’t really bother me, however, it seemed<br />
he could have sat across from me <strong>and</strong> he was sitting<br />
awfully close... He leaned over <strong>and</strong> asked<br />
me what I was reading <strong>and</strong> at the same time put<br />
his h<strong>and</strong> on my genital area <strong>and</strong> began rubbing.<br />
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