Postures professionnelles concernant les trans­ actions sexuelles impliquant des jeunes : entre souci de (sur)protection et accompagnement de la socialisation sexuelle

Abstract

Postures professionnelles concernant les trans actions sexuelles impliquant des jeunes : entre souci de (sur)protection et accompagnement de la socialisation sexuelle Résumé : À partir des données récoltées dans le cadre d'une recherche sur les transactions sexuelles impliquant des jeunes, cet article s'intéresse aux postures des professionnel•le•s du travail social et de la santé face à ces pratiques. Il met en lumière différentes représentations de la place donnée à l'éducation sexuelle, entendue comme toute forme d'intervention liée à la sexualité. Entre postures de protection et d'accompagnement, peu sont celles et ceux en travail social qui se sentent légitimes d'aborder les questions d'éducation sexuelle au sein de leur travail socio-éducatif. Or, les jeunes en sont demandeuses et demandeurs. Il en découle l'importance d'offrir à ces professionnel•le•s des formations appropriées afin de mieux intégrer l'éducation sexuelle plus spécifiquement dans le travail social auprès des jeunes.

Social Representations and Experiences of Sexual Transactions Among Swiss Youth

“…In addition to obscuring young people’s agency, this dominant view of sexual transactions also poses concrete problems for professionals who work with youth. Indeed, the results of our online survey indicate that the same outlook prevails in the fields of social work and health care (Carbajal & Colombo, 2021 ). As a result, professionals often find themselves at a loss when confronted with young people who invoke consent, individual freedom, and ownership of their own bodies to justify their involvement in sexual transactions (Lavaud-Legendre, 2022b ).…”

“…Youth experiences, as documented through the qualitative interviews, have been discussed in Colombo et al ( 2017b , 2022 ), as well as in Colombo and Carbajal ( 2019 ). The perspectives of professionals on youth representations, practices, and needs have been analyzed in Carbajal and Colombo ( 2021 , 2023 ). For its part, this article focuses on the results of the online survey.…”

Changing gender norms around female genital mutilation/cutting (FGM/C): a key role for social work in the Global North

“…Looking at the European context, Charmillot and Jacot-Descombes (2018) have shown how such professionals can contribute to sex education through their family support efforts. However, barriers remain; in many countries, social work training programs fail to address sexuality in any meaningful way (Rowntree, 2014;Carbajal and Colombo, 2021). The resulting lack of knowledge means that, in practice, social workers rarely address questions of sexuality (Schaub et al, 2017).…”

“…For example, parents could be supported through a mix of cross-cultural mediation and collaboration with resource people based in local ethnocultural communities. In what is no doubt a reflection of the traditional healthcare-based approach to sexuality, social professionals have described feelings of "illegitimacy" when seeking to deal with sexual issues (Carbajal and Colombo, 2021). However, a healthcare-based medical approach remains inadequate for addressing the complex issues involved, which extend far beyond purely medical concerns.…”

“…From this perspective, training is crucial to ensuring that professionals can effectively support youth in learning about sex while protecting them from infringements of their sexual rights (abuse, violence, etc.) (Carbajal and Colombo, 2021). Likewise, the media play an important role in reinforcing or challenging gender-based notions of sexuality (Chmielewski et al, 2017).…”