Sexual offending Flashcards
(24 cards)
Legal definition of rape under the Sexual Offences Act 2003?
Rape is the non-consensual penetration of the vagina, anus, or mouth by the penis.
How is consent defined in the Sexual Offences Act 2003?
when a person agrees by choice to the sexual activity and has the freedom and capacity to make that choice
Name three other sexual offences listed in the Sexual Offences Act 2003
Assault by penetration, sexual assault, voyeurism and “upskirting”
Age of consent
16 in the UK
When are penetration, sexual contact and engaging in sexual activity illegal?
When a victim is under 13 and when victim is under 16 and perpetrator is 18+
When may sexual contact with someone who is 16/17 be illegal?
When there is an abuse of trust
Other offences include:
Grooming, familial child sexual offences, offences against persons with mental disorder, indecent images of children
What is the age of consent in the rest of Europe?
It varies between 14 (e.g. Portugal, Germany, Italy) 18 (Malta, Turkey, Vatican City)
What is the global lifetime prevalence range of sexual partner violence reported by women aged 15–49?
Between 5% and 59% (World Health Organization, 2012).
What percentage of women reported experiencing sexual violence by a non-partner since age 15?
Between 0.3% and 12% (WHO, 2012).
What are the global estimated rates of child sexual abuse by gender?
4–19% for boys and 11–22% for girls (Stoltenborgh et al., 2014).
What is the common stereotype many people have of a “typical” sex offender?
Someone unknown to the victim, often imagined as a predatory stranger (“stranger danger”).
What are two specific fears or concerns the public may have regarding sexual offenders?
Fear of pedophile rings/grooming gangs and fear of child abduction or assault by strangers.
What harmful belief do some people hold about LGBTQ+ individuals in relation to child safety?
That LGBTQ+ people pose a greater threat to children — a false and damaging stereotype
What did Wortley (2009) examine?
misconceptions about child sexual abuse
Where did 69% of child sexual abuse offenses occur, according to research?
In the home (Smallbone & Wortley, 2000/2004).
Organised “paedophile rings” are responsible for most sexual offences. What do the stats say?
Only 8% of offenders had spoken to others who offended, and just 4% were in a group that could be called a paedophile group
What is the gender breakdown of victims in child sexual abuse cases?
72% female and 28% male victims
Do “child molester” and “paedophile” mean the same thing?
No —they’re often used interchangeably, but child molestation ≠ pedophilia. Not all offenders have a sexual preference for children.
How does the WHO (1997) define pedophilia?
A sexual preference for prepubertal or early pubertal children, of either gender.
What are the terms for sexual preferences by age group?
Paedophilia: prepubertal
Hebephilia: around puberty
Ephebophilia: adolescents
Teleiophilia: adults
What’s the difference between child molestation and pedophilia?
Child molestation is a behaviour (a contact sexual offence against a child), while pedophilia is a sexual preference — they are not the same.
What are the two main types of child molestation, and how do they differ?
Incest/intrafamilial: less linked to paedophilia, lower re-offence risk
Unrelated/extrafamilial: more likely to involve paedophilia, higher risk
