Protecting young people from sex without consent

Over the last decade, a growing body of evidence—much of it the result of Population Council research—has laid to rest any illusion that the young are protected from unwanted sexual advances or forced sex both within and outside of marriage (Erulkar 2004; Bott, Guedes, and Guezmes 2005; Erulkar et al. 2005b; Hallman 2005; Jejeebhoy, Shah, and Thapa 2005; NRC and IM 2005). These studies have established the prevalence of unwanted sex within marriage among young women and its risk factors [Santhya and Jejeebhoy 2005 (India); Erulkar et al. 2005a (Ethiopia)]; the association between poverty and forced sex among adolescent girls in South Africa (Hallman 2005); and levels and correlates of forced sex reported by young people in Ethiopia and Kenya (Erulkar 2004; Erulkar et al. 2005b; Erulkar and Matheka 2007). A synthesis of evidence, moreover, has established that sex without consent among the young exists in every region of the world, and that girls, as well as, to a lesser extent, boys have experienced it (Jejeebhoy, Shah, and Thapa 2005). Questions nevertheless remain. For example, to what extent have national policies responded to concerns about non-consensual sex among the young? Is it possible to track the prevalence of sex without consent in national and sub-national surveys? What are the health and social consequences of sex without consent? And most daunting, are there promising interventions that have succeeded in preventing sex without consent and/or in addressing its deleterious consequences? Highlights of research that has responded to these questions are summarized below.