Clinical work · The prohibition
The foundations of the most absolute prohibition: adult-child sexual acts
In our society, some subjects remain wrapped in silence, out of taboo or out of ignorance. The prohibition of sexual relations between an adult and a child is one of them: it is raised reluctantly, as though it went without saying. Understanding its foundations is nonetheless decisive for the protection of children.
Why spell out a prohibition no one disputes?
A prohibition that is never explained is poorly defended. When it rests on moral self-evidence or on indignation alone, it leaves helpless those who must one day put it into words — in front of a child, in front of a family, in front of someone who has committed the irreparable, or in front of a discourse that seeks to relativise it.
The relationship between an adult and a child, when it crosses the boundaries of sexual intimacy, raises a fundamental problem on several levels at once. Stating them clearly, and in order, provides solid arguments rather than mere reprobation.
Three orders of argument
The argument unfolds in three stages, from the most elementary to the most institutional.
1
Functional immaturity
The first level is biological: a child is not functionally mature. No consent can therefore be invoked where the very conditions for consent do not exist.
2
The disturbances induced
Next come the cognitive and psychological disturbances brought about by the act — effects that lastingly affect the child’s development and mental health.
3
Ethics and the law
Finally, the ethical and legal implications, which inscribe the prohibition in law and in the obligations of every adult towards a child.
This hierarchy is not a presentational flourish. It allows an overall understanding: each level supports the next, and the prohibition no longer appears as one convention among others, but as a consequence of what a child is.
A message with several recipients
These explanations aim to equip the various social actors — health and social work professionals, educators, parents, and also people who have suffered abuse — with the arguments needed to understand the importance of this prohibition and, where necessary, to explain it in turn.
What is at stake is twofold: breaking the silence that too often surrounds this subject, and strengthening the protection of children through better information. Dialogue remains, here, the condition for moving beyond the taboo and for building a society in which the protection of children is genuinely at the heart of our concerns. It is the same movement that leads to questioning the relational logic of violence within the family and the therapeutic paths offered to those who carry its consequences.
Source
Perrone, R., & Nannini, M. Violence et abus sexuels dans la famille : une approche systémique et communicationnelle. ESF Sciences humaines.
How to cite this article
Besse, J. (2024, March 17). The foundations of the most absolute prohibition: adult-child sexual acts. Complexe Systémique. https://app.complexe-systemique.com/en_GB/articles/the-foundations-of-the-most-absolute-prohibition-adult-child-sexual-acts
To go further
- Violence and sexual abuse in the familyClassifying violence by context or by relational logic: what happens when the gaze shifts.
- Sexual abuse: therapeutic pathsActivating resilience and stepping out of the victim position: what a therapist can support.
- Sexual violence, a systemic perspective: acting and preventingThe questions about prevention opened up by a conference devoted to sexual violence.
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