Abstract:
Article 217-A of Brazilian Law n. 12,015/2009 defines carnal knowledge or any other libidinous act with an individual under 14 years of age as “rape of a vulnerable individual” (statutory rape). Given the young average age at sexual initiation in current society, the study aimed to understand the adolescents’ views of sexual initiation, sexual assault, and the law that defines sex at this age as “rape of a vulnerable individual”. The authors used a qualitative approach with 13 focus groups totaling 132 secondary students from public and private schools in the city of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Data analysis used the webQDA software with a hermeneutic-dialectic approach that yielded three categories: feeling ready to initiate sexual activity, (in)vulnerability to sexual assault, and protective mechanisms. Girls associated sexual initiation with a romantic vision and feeling safe with and trusting the partner. Boys associated it with opportunity, regardless of other factors. Most of the students felt that when consent to the sexual act is mutual, regardless of age, there is no violence involved. At the same time, they wondered about the possibility of younger girls’ discernment to consent to having sex. Most of these adolescents disagreed with the protective measures established by the law, arguing that it is the family’s duty to provide this care. The contradictions in the adolescents’ views concerning vulnerability to sexual assault and rape of vulnerable individuals as defined by the law lead us to conclude that it is necessary to expand and improve sex education in general for Brazilian adolescents, besides creating spaces for discussion that can help improve these legal provisions.
Keywords:
Sexual Behavior; Rape; Sexual Violence; Adolescence; Focus Groups