Young people, sex and sexual exploitation

The Office for National Statistics has published Quarterly Conceptions to Women aged under 18, England and Wales. The provisional data shows that:

• Between July and September 2012, 6,529 women aged under 18 fell pregnant, compared to 7,079 in the previous three months to June and 9.894 in September 2009; and
• The rate of conception per thousand women aged 15-17 fell from 28.5 to 26.2.

To access the data visit www.ons.gov.uk/ons/rel/vsob1/quart-conc-to-women-und-18/q3-2012/index.html.

The Prime Minister David Cameron has rejected a call, from Faculty of Public Health president Prof John Ashton, to lower the age of consent to 15. Ashton said society had to accept that about a third of all boys and girls were having sex at 14 or 15 and said the move would make it easier for 15-year-olds to get sexual health advice from the NHS.

The Office of the Children’s Commissioner has published “Sex without consent, I suppose that is rape”: How young people in England understand sexual consent, a report on how young people in England understand sexual consent.

Based on a survey of nearly 500 young people and focus groups, key findings include:

• In general most young people do understand consent in a limited way with the focus almost entirely on it being given rather than sought;
• Young people frequently viewed female victims as implicated, and even responsible for what happened to them;
• Young women’s views and opinions in the survey were clearer and more consistent than those of young men; and
• The younger age groups were more confused and contradictory in their understanding of consent.

To download the report visit http://childrenengland.us6.list-manage2.com/track/click?u=14466961e06a4f2dfbaae3cf8&id=0d5c7fb246&e=5d8c2111db.

The Home Office has announced that celebrities including Hollyoaks actors and boyband The Wanted will star in new television adverts to support teenage relationship campaign This is Abuse.

The campaign aims to highlight to young people what constitutes abuse and consent, provide them with the tools to challenge abusive behaviour in relationships and show them where to find help.

The adverts will run across all MTV channels and online at http://thisisabuse.direct.gov.uk with a call to young people to use #callitout on Twitter.