Illegal yet developmentally normative: a descriptive analysis of young, urban adolescents’ dating and sexual behaviour in Cape Town, South Africa

Abstract

BackgroundIn South Africa, it is illegal for adolescents under age 16 years to engage in any sexual behaviour whether kissing, petting, or penetrative sex, regardless of consent. This cross-sectional study investigated the extent to which young adolescents engage in various sexual behaviours and the associations between dating status and sexual behaviours.MethodGrade 8 adolescents (N = 474, ages 12–15 years, mean = 14.14 years) recruited from Cape Town schools completed surveys providing information about their sociodemographic backgrounds, dating experience, sexual behaviour, and substance use.ResultsLower hierarchy sexual behaviours, such as kissing (71.4% of girls; 88.4% of boys), were more common than oral (3.9% of girls; 13.8% of boys), vaginal (9.3% of girls; 30.0% of boys), or anal (1.4% of girls; 10.5% of boys) sex. Currently dating girls and boys were more likely to engage in sexual behaviours including several risk behaviours in comparison to their currently non-dating counterparts. These risk behaviours included penetrative sex (21.1% of dating vs. 4.5% of non-dating girls; 49.4% of dating vs. 20.2% of non-dating boys), sex with co-occurring substance use (22.2% of dating vs. 0 non-dating girls; 32.1% of dating vs. 40% of non-dating boys), and no contraceptive use (26.1% of sexually experienced girls; 44.4% of sexually experienced boys). Among girls, there were significant associations between ever having penetrative sex and SES (OR = 2.592, p = 0.017) and never dating (OR = 0.330, p = 0.016). Among boys, there were significant associations between ever having penetrative sex and never dating (OR = 0.162, p = 0.008). Although the currently dating group of young adolescents appear to be a precocious group in terms of risk behaviour relative to the currently non-dating group, teenagers in both groups had experience in the full range of sexual behaviours.ConclusionsMany young adolescents are engaging in a variety of sexual behaviours ranging from kissing and touching to intercourse. Of particular concern are those engaging in risky sexual behaviour. These findings indicate that adolescents need to be prepared for sexual negotiation and decision-making from an early age through comprehensive and accessible education and health services; sections of current legislation may be a barrier to adopting such policies and practices.

How common and frequent is heterosexual anal intercourse among South Africans? A systematic review and meta‐analysis

“…only1[57]2[69,78]3Regional lang. & English17[40,41,43,44,47–49,53,54,56,59–62,73–75]7[40,41,70,76,77,79,80]22 b  Not stated11[42,45,50–52,55,58,63–66]5[46,67,68,71,72]16AI – anal intercourse, VI – vaginal intercourse, UAI – unprotected anal intercourse, UVI – unprotected vaginal intercourse, F – female, M – male, Mix – data available on mixed gender only, FSW – female sex worker, MSM – men who have sex with men, shebeen – an informal establishment serving alcohol, STI – sexually transmitted infection, VCT – voluntary counselling and testing, ACASI – audio computer-assisted self-interview, FTFI – face-to-face interview, SAQ – self-administered questionnaire, CRS – cluster random sample, SRS – simple random sample, RDS – respondent-driven sample, RCT – randomized controlled trial a Studies which reported AI prevalence for unprotected AI only. b Sum lower than expected as two studies report on both higher and general-risk populations. c Recall period referred to here as “general” when participants were asked “Do you practise anal sex”, or similar. d Defined by author as “high risk” but no definition provided; sample consists of 79% FSW [70]. …”

The mandatory reporting of consensual, underage sex: Knowledge, practices and perspectives of social workers in KwaZulu-Natal

“…[11] Sensitivity to personal circumstances also indicates cognisance that consensual sexual exploration among adolescents is developmentally normative. [4] Age difference was one of several factors considered by social workers in this study when deciding whether to report consensual underage sex. This is contrary to the approach in the recently amended Act [13] which makes age difference the sole factor guiding whether the behaviour will attract criminal sanction.…”

“…[4] Sections 15 and 16 of the Criminal Law [Sexual Offences and Related Matters] Amendment Act [1] (hereafter the 'Sexual Offences Act'), which criminalised underage consensual sex and sexual activity have been extensively criticised. Commentators contended that criminalising consensual underage sex is incongruent with developmentally normative sexual practices among adolescents, [4][5] is incompatible with other legislation like the Children's Act and the Choice of Termination of Pregnancy Act, [6][7] contrary to the principle of 'the best interests of the child' and inconsistent with children's constitutional rights to bodily and psychological integrity and privacy. [6] A further criticism of the Sexual Offences Act was that it made it incumbent on all service providers, including doctors, social workers, psychologists and others to report consensual underage sex to a police official.…”

Father absence and early sexual debut: Understanding the influence of gender, risk, and protective factors

“…An abundance of literature suggests that adolescent who use drug and alcohol are significantly prone to have sex at earlier ages (Lammers et al, 1999;Lohman & Billings, 2008;Rosenbaum & Kandel, 1990). Adolescents who are involved in school problems also have an earlier age of first sex (Gevers, Matthews, Cupp, Russell, & Jewkes, 2013;Lohman & Billings, 2008).…”