Citation

Gadin KG. J. Interpers. Violence 2012; 27(9): 1762-1779.

Affiliation

Mid Sweden University, Sundsvall, Sweden.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2012, SAGE Publishing)

DOI

10.1177/0886260511430387

PMID

22592498

Abstract

The aim of this study was to enhance the understanding of young girls' experiences of peer sexual harassment in elementary school and of normalizing processes of school-related sexualized violence. Six focus group interviews with girls in Grade 1 through 6 were carried out in an elementary school in the northern part of Sweden. A content analyses showed that young girls experienced verbal, nonverbal, and sexual assault behaviors at school. Sexual harassment as a concealed phenomenon and manifest within a romantic discourse were themes found in the analysis. A conclusion is that schools have to acknowledge behaviors related to sexual harassment as a potential problem even in young ages and develop methods to approach the subject also for this age group.

Language: en