Activity: eSafety for Kids – Parent Factsheet – Sexual Coercion

Parent Factsheet: What to do when your child feels pressured to participate in sexual activities online or in person

Immediate Action

Calmly reassure your child they are safe and a trusted adult can support them through this. Gather evidence and gently explain to your child the safest process to deal with this issue. Offer to arrange support with a mental health professional or Kids Helpline.

Description

While ‘peer pressure’ is common amongst teenagers and often excused by adults as a normal part of growing up, coercive behaviours are very serious. Sexual coercion may include repeated requests, trickery, bribery, persuasion and threats intended to elicit sexual interaction with an unwilling party. If a person doesn't give their free, informed and enthusiastic consent to participate in a sexual activity, but it happens to them anyway, this is sexual assault. Coercive behaviours don’t always lead to sexual assault, but there is a very high likelihood that they eventually will. Sexua