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CULTURES
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Sexualisation of Children Are children expected to ‘grow up’ too fast? In parts of the developing world this question is more commonly about the additional responsibilities they have to take on at a young age – household tasks such as growing food or fetching water rather than being in school or playing, responsibility for younger siblings, and in the case of AIDS orphans responsibility for the whole family (but see the last link for issues in other parts of the world). However, in the ‘westernised countries’ the question is more about pressures to be more sexually advanced than their age: pre-teen magazines talking about boyfriends and how far to go, clothing that turns little girls sex objects or which features slogans with sexual innuendos, dieting from a young age, the influence on body image of dolls such as Bratz. Two articles on the risks inherent in the sexualisation of pre-teens: Article one (The Guardian) Teachers' Union attacks major name stores Meet the pre-teen beauty addicts So sexy, so soon: the sexualization of childhood in commercial culture The boom in beauty salons for children as young as six See the 2008 Australian Parliamentary Senate inquiry into the sexualisation of children in the contemporary media environment, and read inquiry submissions. The committee considered that the inappropriate sexualisation of children in Australia was of increasing concern and made a list of recommendations, including the need for a study on the effects as well as regulatory standards for the media
and a related article at the time of the inquiry about the images on view for children. See this Stop Demand article for information about the initiation of children as sex slaves to voodoo priests in West Africa and of young boys into commercial sex in Latin America and elsewhere, as well as an area of India where the economy is organised around the prostitution of children.
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