Underage Girls Research Articles

Sex differences in adolescent exposure to alcohol advertising in magazines.

To measure girls' and boys' exposure to alcohol advertising in magazines and to compare this exposure with that of legal-age persons. Alcohol advertisements (N = 6239) in 103 national magazines for which placement, audience, and cost data for 2001 and 2002 were available, categorized by year, beverage type, and brand. Placement and readership (age and sex) data generated estimates of media exposure for the age groups 12 to 20, 21 to 34, and 21 years and older. Gross rating points, an advertising industry standard measure of the level of media exposure of a given population, and gross rating point ratios comparing exposure of different demographic groups. Alcohol companies spent 590.4 million US dollars to place 471 beer and ale advertisements (8%), 4748 distilled spir-its advertisements (76%), 116 low-alcohol refresher advertisements (2%), and 904 advertisements for wine (14%) in magazines in 2001 and 2002. In 2002, underage youth saw 45% more beer and ale advertising, 12% more distilled spirits advertising, 65% more low-alcohol refresher advertising, and 69% less advertising for wine than persons 21 years and older. Girls aged 12 to 20 years were more likely to be exposed to beer, ale, and low-alcohol refresher advertising than women in the group aged 21 to 34 or women in the group aged 21 years and older. Girls' exposure to low-alcohol refresher advertising increased by 216% from 2001 to 2002, while boys' exposure increased 46%. Exposure of underage girls to alcohol advertising is substantial and increasing, pointing to the failure of industry self-regulation and the need for further action.

Sexual Violence and Adolescents: Implications for The Mental Health of VVF Victims

The paper looked into the traditional practice of early marriage and childbearing as a form of violence against adolescents in Nigeria. The concept of violence was located within the required sexual relationship between the girl-child that was forcefully given out in marriage to a man that is usually old enough to be her father or grandfather leading to early pregnancy for a girl that is not matured enough to undergo the physical and emotional responsibility attached to her new status. The result is that of a girl who experiences Vesico Vaginal Fistula (VVF), a condition afflicting underaged girls who found themselves in motherhood position. Because of the societal rejection of the girls and their condition, the probable mental status of these girls were examined and recommendation made for possible eradication of this practice.

‘Voodoo’ on the Doorstep: Young Nigerian Prostitutes and Magic Policing in the Netherlands

AbstractThis article deals with the moral panic that emerged in the Netherlands when it became publicly known that under-age Nigerian girls were being smuggled into the country to be put to ‘work’ in the sex industry. A massive police investigation not only found hundreds of cases but also uncovered the fact that certain unknown and occult rituals played a part in how traffickers, ‘madams’ and other sex bosses appeared to keep the girls locked in this exploitative system. Soon an unspecified notion of ‘voodoo’ came to dominate the entire police operation, the public image of what was happening to these girls, and the way in which the girls were treated within the Dutch judicial system and its care. The article deconstructs the moral panic and all the images of Africa and the occult which became so crucial to the way the Dutch state tried to deal with the situation. It sets this analysis in the context of an anthropology of globalisation and a cultural exploration of how issues of morality and identity are affected by what the Comaroffs have called the occult economies of late capitalist relations. It concludes that to a great extent the scale of the moral panic can be understood by pointing at the rigidity of the identity politics of the Dutch nation state in previous years. Its policies were meant to curb some of the effects of globalisation (such as illegal immigration from Africa) in order to preserve its integrity, but it now found them seriously undermined by something the policies were not designed to cope with.

'Voodoo' on the Doorstep: Young Nigerian Prostitutes and Magic Policing in the Netherlands

This article deals with the moral panic that emerged in the Netherlands when it became publicly known that under-age Nigerian girls were being smuggled into the country to be put to ‘work’ in the sex industry. A massive police investigation not only found hundreds of cases but also uncovered the fact that certain unknown and occult rituals played a part in how traffickers, ‘madams’ and other sex bosses appeared to keep the girls locked in this exploitative system. Soon an unspecified notion of ‘voodoo’ came to dominate the entire police operation, the public image of what was happening to these girls, and the way in which the girls were treated within the Dutch judicial system and its care. The article deconstructs the moral panic and all the images of Africa and the occult which became so crucial to the way the Dutch state tried to deal with the situation. It sets this analysis in the context of an anthropology of globalisation and a cultural exploration of how issues of morality and identity are affected by what the Comaroffs have called the occult economies of late capitalist relations. It concludes that to a great extent the scale of the moral panic can be understood by pointing at the rigidity of the identity politics of the Dutch nation state in previous years. Its policies were meant to curb some of the effects of globalisation (such as illegal immigration from Africa) in order to preserve its integrity, but it now found them seriously undermined by something the policies were not designed to cope with.

Ann MacMillan's London

IT IS STRANGELY REASSURING that three big issues in Britain this autumn were sex, spies, and sovereignty. All are familiar themes that have cropped up regularly in this country for the past century, if not the past millennium. Politicians and pundits talk of a new, vibrant, forward-looking country, but some things never change. As Britain moves into the 21st century, there is a sense of continuity.Sex is always a popular subject in Britain. Next to the weather, it's probably the most talked about matter in the land. So far the new look, new labour leaders have failed to deliver the sorts of sex scandals that threatened to destroy the last Conservative government. No cabinet ministers were discovered disporting themselves with Spanish actresses this year. Instead, British tabloids have been full of the perils of teenage sex. Recent reports of twelve-year-old girls made pregnant by fourteen year-old boyfriends have set tongues wagging and heads shaking. They also provoked a serious debate over the problems caused by children having children.In certain parts of Britain teenage pregnancy is an accepted part of life. Three young mothers who became pregnant at the age of twelve became headline stories lately. The mother of one is only 28 years old herself. News that the Catholic church in Scotland has set up a special fund to help financially strapped youngsters bring up babies has not been welcomed by reformers. The latest girl to benefit from the Church's munificence is a 12-year-old with severe learning difficulties. When her father asked her boyfriend's family for help, he got this response: 'Oh Christ, we've got 18 grandchildren already.'Britain has the highest number of pregnant teenagers in Europe. In 1996 (the last year for which figures are available) there were 63 teenage births per thousand or 93,000 annually - double the rate in Germany, four times the French rate, and seven times higher than in the Netherlands. Being top of the teenage pregnancy tables has led to national soul-searching. So far no one has come up with a convincing explanation for exactly why so many underage British girls have babies, but there have been plenty of suggestions about what should be done. Prime Minister Tony Blair has called for a new moral code in which parents take responsibility for their children. The aptly named Social Exclusion Unit is currently working on ways to reduce teen pregnancies. The Dutch model is being vigorously studied because social attitudes to teenage sex and pregnancy are very different there. Sex education in the Netherlands starts early at home and at school. Contraception is freely available and has become an accepted part of teenage life. Young people are encouraged to take a responsible attitude to sex and discouraged from having babies too young.While teenage pregnancies led to debate about whether Britain is suffering from some sort of social malaise, the recurring problem of spying has raised questions about the competence of the country's security forces. In September two rather unusual 'enemies of the people' were outed by Victor Mitrokin, a former KGB archivist. He defected from Russia in 1992 with six suitcases full of KGB secrets. When he tried to turn himself in at an American embassy he was told embassy staff didn't have time to look through all his documents. The British embassy was more welcoming and, after taking a look at what Mitrokin had to offer, gave him asylum. In a recently published book, Mitrokin revealed details that led to the identification of two spies: Melita Norwood, a great-grandmother, and John Symonds, a former Scotland Yard policeman. Norwood, who until now was famous only for her jam-making skills, was unrepentant about spying for the Soviet Union from 1937 to 1972. A former secretary at the British Non Ferrous Metal Research Association in London, she handed over top-secret information about Britain's atomic programme. She told reporters she had never made money from her activities and that she would do it all over again if it meant helping the communist system to flourish. …

Consent, compulsion and the child

In a recent case a judge made a declaration that a 15-year-old girl should be compelled to have a heart transplant against her will. In this article the law relating to consent is discussed in relation to underaged pregnant girls.

Belgian politics in 1997

The so-called 'Dutroux-case'- the revelation of the kidnapping and the murder of four underaged girls and the apparent malfunctions of the judiciary and the police forces, was the most important issue on the 1997 political agenda. Unanimously, the Chamber of Representatives agreed upon the recommendations of a parliamentary inquiry into the bungled police investigation. Yet the unanimity disappeared quickly when the recommendations on the reorganisation of the police forces had to be implemented.New revelations of the Dassault-case, and the involvement of both socialist parties, put the government underpressure. The events themselves, and the discontent they caused in some majority parties, urged the government to revise the governmental programme. Guy Spitaels, chairman of the Walloon parliament resigned. Guy Coëme, former minister of Defence, alleged ofpassive corruption in the Dassault-case, was referred to the Supreme Court of Appeal by decision of the Chamber of Representatives.

Confidentiality, contraception, and young people

EDITOR, - The recent guidelines to doctors1 referred to by Gabriel Scally2 perpetuate the myth that most underage girls obtain contraceptives from family planning clinics. Nine years ago a survey of general practitioners revealed that doctors were providing contraceptives to between 2-12 girls a year.3 On a national level this meant that, at the very least, 60 000 schoolgirls (one in six) were being prescribed the pill by their general practitioners, at a time when only 18 000 were attending family planning clinics. My experience as a parent of …

Law and Sexual Difference

The panel were given the following question as a topic for discussion: T o what extent does the legal construction of gender constitute the history of gender?' I'm afraid I find it unanswerable and largely because of the phrase 'legal construction'. It appears to suppose that there is something called 'the law' and that it does things, like defining the attributes, including the sexual identities, of persons. Now legal categories and rules are not merely proscriptive, it is true that laws do define and specify the legitimate capacities of social agents. But the law is not an entity, it is a very complex set of rules and institutions, persons and activities, and it is by no means consistent in its action. It follows that legal rules, judgements of courts, and legal arguments are often acting in contradictory ways. There is no legal instance specifying the attributes of persons consistently and coherently. Gender or sexual difference will not, therefore, have a consistent history of construction in law. What law AS is a matter for argument. Hence we shall be forced to spend much of our time today on questions of jurisprudence rather than sexual difference. For example, a great deal of 'law' consists in enabling legislation which empowers bureaucracies and other agencies to elaborate their own administrative regulations — the DHSS, the BMA and so on. What is and is not 'law' is, therefore, often a matter of intense dispute. Mrs. Gillick's lawyers contend that the possessive rights of parents are superior to the doctors' administratively-sanctioned capacity to judge whether or not it is in the best interests of the child to give contraceptives to under-age girls without the parents' consent or knowledge. Here a proprietal 'right' confronts an administratively-sanctioned power of discretion.

Under-age Girls and Contraception: the Parent's Right to be Informed

A British barrister considers the issue of whether the giving of advice or the prescribing of contraceptives to girls younger than 16 without parental consent constitutes criminal conduct by the physician. Brahams examines relevant criminal and family law, common law, recent court decisions, and Department of Health and Human Services policy concerning the minor's right to consent, parental interests, and physician responsibilities.

Sex Offenses and Offending

The extent to which the law should concern itself with the regulation of consensual sexual activities is a subject of continuing controversy. Dramatic differences exist between countries in regard to law and practice concerning abortion, adultery, prostitution, homosexuality, pornography, and the age of consent. In many countries the numbers of reported sex offenses and prosecuted sex offenses have decreased in recent years, most noticeably for crimes, such as consensual sexual intercourse with underage girls, where there is no complaining victim. Consensual acts account for a substantial proportion of recorded sex crimes. In England and the United States, however, there has been a significant increase in the minority of serious, assaultive sex crimes, notably forcible rape. Children and young persons are involved as participants or victims in a high proportion of sex offenses. Studies of offenders point to the existence of subgroups with very different characteristics. Many offenders, once caught, are ne...