PREVENTING HARMFUL SEXUAL BEHAVIOUR – A GUIDE FOR PARENTSS AND CARERS
SOURCE: Stopitnow
Children and young people are most likely to be at risk of sexual abuse within their family and community. But not all sexual abuse is carried out by adults. Around one-third of child sexual abuse is thought to be carried out by under-18s.

That’s why Stop It Now made a guide for parents, carers and professionals on preventing harmful sexual behaviour to help everyone do their part in keeping children safe.

What is harmful sexual behaviour?

Harmful sexual behaviour (HSB) is a term used to describe sexual actions that are outside what is safe for a young person’s stage of development. It includes actions that can harm either the child or young person themselves, or another person.

It can include:

• frequently and intentionally accessing age-inappropriate sexual material online
• using inappropriate language
• undertaking mutual sexual activity they are not ready for with peers
• sending and receiving illegal images
• sexual interactions where there are significant power differences, lack of consent, or through force or threats
• engaging in abusive or sexually violent sexual behaviour online or offline.

For more information and resources click here.