Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Children’s Sexuality and Nudity in Discourse and Images in a Danish Education and Care Journal over 50 Years (1970–2019): The Emergence of “The Child Perpetrator of Sexual Abuse” in an International Perspective

  • Original Paper
  • Published:
Archives of Sexual Behavior Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

In the late twentieth century, a new view of children as potential sexual abusers emerged. Today, more research addresses children’s “problematic sexual behavior” than their natural sexuality, and even young children are stigmatized and criminalized because of species-typical sexual behavior. Despite the importance of this new field of research and view of childhood sexuality, studies of this development, its origins, and consequences are extremely rare. This study analyzed the discourse and images related to childhood sexuality in a Danish education and care journal for childcare professionals, from 1970 to 2019, to examine the emergence of “the child perpetrator of sexual abuse” in Denmark in the late 1990s, and traced the travelling of these ideas back to the United States, where this figure originated in the mid-1980s. The study revealed a radical change in views of childhood sexuality in Denmark from 1970 to 2019: from an extreme liberalism in the early decades—illustrated by a rare collection of photos of children’s nudity and sexuality, of which a selection is reprinted in this article—to a view that strongly associates children’s sexuality with sexual abuse. The study showed that the significant attention to and fear of child sexual abuse influenced the new view of childhood sexuality, and that this progressively took root in Danish childcare institutions, creating a panic. This article examines the knowledge, narratives, and the question of proportion regarding the cross-cultural view of children as potential sexual abusers, and discusses its consequences, combining a historical study and a dissection of an important, current phenomenon.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Fig. 1
Fig. 2
Fig. 3
Fig. 4
Fig. 5
Fig. 6
Fig. 7
Fig. 8
Fig. 9

Similar content being viewed by others

Notes

  1. In this article, I use the term “natural” about childhood sexuality to refer both to other people’s conception of childhood sexuality and to my own. When I refer to my own conception, this is not meant in any static or absolute way, but to say that children are sexual beings and that sexual behavior is an expected part of their development.

  2. In Denmark, crèches are for children aged approximately 0–3 years old, and kindergartens are for children aged approximately 3–6 years old. At the age of 6, Danish children begin elementary school.

  3. After publishing 11 issues in 1970, B&U published 40–50 issues per year until 2008; 50 issues per year from 1986 to 2003. From 2009 to 2019, the number of annual issues decreased gradually to 15 in 2019.

  4. A detailed statement on the protection of personal data in this article is available on request.

  5. All translations of quoted material have been made by the author.

  6. The cushion room is a tradition in Danish childcare institutions, where children may either relax or play energetically among cushions. The cushion room is a recurrent feature in this article, as this room tends to be where children play doctor or undress (Leander et al., 2018).

  7. The Danish terms used in the discourse introduced in the 1999 B&U feature (Jensen, 1999) to convey the new view of childhood sexuality as potentially abusive were: ”krænke (seksuelt),” “børn krænker børn (seksuelt),” ”krænkere,” ”børnekrænkere,” “seksuelle overgreb,” “krænkelser,” “krænkende adfærd,” ”børns misbrug af hinanden.”

  8. “By “panic,” I refer not only to the fear or the alarm that childhood sexuality may evoke when associated with CSA, but also to the significant discursive and institutional changes that may follow as long-term consequences of this fear or alarm, and as a sign of them.”

References

  • Andreasen, J. (1999). Pædofili. Om seksuelt misbrug af børn og unge i samfundets institutioner. Frydenlund.

    Google Scholar 

  • Arnett, J. J. (2006). G. Stanley Hall’s adolescence: Brilliance and nonsense. History of Psychology, 9(3), 186–197.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Astrup, E. (2017). Skal børnehaverne sætte børneseksualitet på skemaet? Politiken, 6.

  • ATSA. (2020). Registration and Community Notification of Children and Adolescents Adjudicated of a Sexual Crime: Recommendations for Evidence-Based Reform. Association for the Treatment of Sexual Abusers.

  • Baader, M. S., & Levis, N. (2015). Pedo-sexuality: An especially German history. Women’s Studies Quarterly, 43(1/2), 315–322.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Baker, A. J. L., Schneiderman, M., & Parker, R. (2001). A survey of problematic sexualized behaviors of youth in the New York City child welfare system: Estimates of problem, impact on services, and need for training. Journal of Child Sexual Abuse, 10, 67–80.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Balter, A.-S., van Rhijn, T. M., & Davies, A. W. J. (2018). Equipping early childhood educators to support the development of sexuality in childhood: Identification of pre- and post-service training needs. Canadian Journal of Human Sexuality, 27(1), 33–42. https://doi.org/10.3138/cjhs.2017-0036

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Balter, A.-S., van Rhijn, T. M., & Davies, A. W. J. (2016). The development of sexuality in childhood in early learning settings: An exploration of early childhood educators’ perceptions. Canadian Journal of Human Sexuality, 25(1), 30–40. https://doi.org/10.3138/cjhs.251-A3

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bancroft, J. (Ed.). (2003). Sexual development in childhood. Indiana University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Bech, H. (2005). Kvinder og mænd. Hans Reitzels Forlag.

    Google Scholar 

  • Berntsen, D. (2002). Incest: Genovervej Vadstrupgårdsagen. Politiken, Section 2, 7.

    Google Scholar 

  • Best, J. (1990). Threatened children: Rhetoric and concern about child-victims. University of Chicago Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Bille, M. (2014). Doktorleg i tabuland. Børns seksualitet. Børn&Unge, 15, 1+11–23.

  • Bille, M., & Andersen, A. A. (2017). Børns seksualitet. Børn&Unge, 5, 1+11–23.

  • Bisgaard, R. (1986). Sexsag misbrugt til fyringstrussel. Børn&Unge, 13, 6.

    Google Scholar 

  • Blædel, L. (1999). Vadstrupgaardsagen: Justitsmord. Tiderne Skifter.

    Google Scholar 

  • Bo, M. (1990). Børne-sex er tys-tys. Børn & UnGe, 43, 12–14.

    Google Scholar 

  • Børn&Unge. (1986). Forældre klager over børns sex-lege i fritidshjem. Børn&Unge, 5, 4.

    Google Scholar 

  • Braun, V., & Clarke, V. (2006). Using thematic analysis in psychology. Qualitative Research in Psychology, 3(2), 77–101.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Brownlie, J. (2001). The ‘being-risky’ child: Governing childhood and sexual risk. Sociology, 35(2), 519–537. https://doi.org/10.1177/S0038038501000256

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bullough, V. (2004). Children and adolescents as sexual beings: A historical overview. Child and Adolescent Psychiatric Clinics of North America, 13, 447–459.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Burnett, R. (2016). Wrongful allegations of sexual and child abuse. Oxford University Press.

    Book  Google Scholar 

  • Cacciatore, R. S., Ingman-Friberg, S. M., Lainiala, L. P., & Apter, D. L. (2020). Verbal and behavioral expressions of child sexuality among 1–6-year-olds as observed by daycare professionals in Finland. Archives of Sexual Behavior, 49(7), 2725–2734. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10508-020-01694-y

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Cantwell, H. B. (1988). Child sexual abuse: Very young perpetrators. Child Abuse & Neglect, 12(4), 579–582.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Carpentier, M. Y., Silovsky, J. F., & Chaffin, M. (2006). Randomized trial of treatment for children with sexual behavior problems: Ten-year follow-up. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 74(3), 482–488. https://doi.org/10.1037/0022-006X.74.3.482

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Chaffin, M., & Bonner, B. (1998). Editor’s introduction. “Don’t shoot, we’re your children”: Have we gone too far in our response to adolescent sexual abusers and children with sexual behavior problems? Child Maltreatment, 3(4), 314–316.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Chaffin, M., Berliner, L., Block, R., Johnson, T. C., Friedrich, W. N., Louis, D. G., Lyon, T. D., Page, I. J., Prescott, D. S., & Silovsky, J. F. (2006). Report of the Task Force on Children with Ssexual Behavior Problems. Association for the Treatment of Sexual Abusers.

  • Christensen, K. D. (2014). I min tid var det nuttet, når de små drenge lavede propellen. Jyllands-Posten, 9.

  • Christensen, N. (2003). Den danske billedbog 1950–1999. Roskilde Universitetsforlag.

    Google Scholar 

  • Cunningham, C., & MacFarlane, K. (1991). When children molest children. Safer Society.

    Google Scholar 

  • Danish Broadcasting Corporation (1992). Body Bio–Sex. Retrieved from https://www.dr.dk/bonanza/serie/369/body-bio/20376/body-bio---sex

  • DeLago, C., Schroeder, C. M., Cooper, B., Deblinger, E., Dudek, E., Yu, R., & Finkel, M. A. (2020). Children who engaged in interpersonal problematic sexual behaviors. Child Abuse & Neglect, 105, 104260. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chiabu.2019.104260

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Dencik, L. (1989). Growing up in the post-modern age: On the child’s situation in the modern family, and on the position of the family in the modern welfare state. Acta Sociologica, 1989(32), 155–180.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Det Samfundsvidenskabelige Fakultet. (2019). Psykolog forebygger seksuelle overgreb mod børn. Retrieved from https://samf.ku.dk/forskning/samf-i-samfundet/forskning-der-aendrer-samfundet/katrine-zeuthen/

  • DFPA. (2017). “Det kan være pinligt for forældrene”. En national kortlægning af daginstitutioners håndtering af børns seksualitet. Sex & Samfund. Retrieved from https://www.sexogsamfund.dk/sites/default/files/en_national_kortlaegning_af_daginstitutioners_haandtering_af_boerns_seksualitet._rapport.pdf

  • Dicataldo, F. C. (2009). The perversion of youth. New York University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Dixson, A. F. (2012). Primate sexuality: Comparative studies of the prosimians, monkeys, apes, and humans (2nd ed.). Oxford University Press.

    Book  Google Scholar 

  • Edelberg, P. (2018). Traces of a panic: The making and unmaking of a paedophile minority in Denmark in the twentieth century. In T. Krogh, L. N. Kallestrup, & C. B. Christensen (Eds.), Cultural histories of crime in Denmark, 1500 to 2000 (pp. 93–109). Routledge.

    Google Scholar 

  • Elkovitch, N., Latzman, R. D., Hansen, D. J., & Flood, M. F. (2009). Understanding child sexual behavior problems: A developmental psychopathology framework. Clinical Psychology Review, 29(7), 586–598.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Fairclough, N. (1992). Discourse and social change. Polity Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Feeney, S., Christensen, D., & Moravcik, E. (1987). Who am I in the lives of children?: An introduction to teaching young children. Merrill.

    Google Scholar 

  • Finkelhor, D., Ormrod, R., & Chaffin, M. (2009). Juveniles who commit sex offenses against minors. Juvenile Justice Bulletin.

  • Fitzpatrick, C., Deehan, A., & Jennings, S. (1995). Children’s sexual behaviour and knowledge: A community study. Irish Journal of Psychological Medicine, 12(3), 87–91.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Fleischhauer, J, & Hollersen, W. (2010). How the left took things too far. Der Spiegel International. Retrieved from https://www.spiegel.de/international/zeitgeist/the-sexual-revolution-and-children-how-the-left-took-things-too-far-a-702679.html

  • Ford, C. S., & Beach, F. A. (1951). Patterns of sexual behavior. Harper & Brothers.

    Google Scholar 

  • Foucault, M. (1976). Histoire de la sexualité 1. La volonté de savoir. Gallimard.

    Google Scholar 

  • Foucault, M. (1977). Discipline and punish: The birth of the prison. Penguin.

    Google Scholar 

  • Friedrich, W. N. (1997). Child sexual behavior inventory. Test manual. Psychological Assessment Resources.

    Google Scholar 

  • Friedrich, W. N. (2003). Studies of sexuality of nonabused children. In J. Bancroft (Ed.), Sexual development in childhood (pp. 107–120). Indiana University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Friedrich, W. N. (2007). Children with sexual behavior problems. Norton.

    Google Scholar 

  • Friedrich, W. N., & Luecke, W. J. (1988). Young school-age sexually aggressive children. Professional Psychology, 19, 155–164. https://doi.org/10.1037/0735-7028.19.2.155

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Furedi, F. (2006). Culture of fear revisited. Continuum.

    Google Scholar 

  • Furedi, F., & Bristow, J. (2010). Licensed to hug. Civitas.

    Google Scholar 

  • Gebhardt, W. (2020). The dark legacy of sexual liberation in Germany. DW. Retrieved from https://p.dw.com/p/3du3f.

  • Gil, E., & Johnson, T. C. (1993). Sexualised children: Assessment and treatment of sexualised children and children who molest. Launch Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Graugaard, C. (2013). Barnets byrde. Betragtninger om børneseksualitet før og nu. Kritik, 46(208), 62–71.

    Google Scholar 

  • Graugaard, C., Eplov, L. F., Giraldi, A., Kristensen, E., Munck, E., Møhl, B., Owens, A. F., Risør, H., & Winther, G. (2004). Denmark. In R. T. Francoeur & R. J. Noonan (Eds.), The Continuum complete international encyclopedia of sexuality (pp. 329–344). Continuum.

    Google Scholar 

  • Guillou, J. (2009). Heksenes forsvarere–en historisk reportage. Modtryk.

    Google Scholar 

  • Guldberg, H. (2009). Reclaiming childhood: Freedom and play in an age of fear. Routledge.

    Book  Google Scholar 

  • Gunge, U. (2014). Doktorleg i børnehaven gør forældre urolige. Berlingske Tidende, 16–17.

  • Hagemann, S. (2017). ‘Spillerum’ lærer børn at skelne. Sådan sætter I ord på omsorgen. Børn&Unge, 3, 5.

    Google Scholar 

  • Hamann, G. (2013). Greens research pedophilic past. DW. Retrieved from https://p.dw.com/p/19ROm

  • Hansen, K. L. (2009). Vi skal turde være kritiske over for hinanden. Børn&Unge, 15, 24.

    Google Scholar 

  • Harris, A. J., & Socia, K. M. (2016). What’s in a name? Evaluating the effects of the “sex offender” label on public opinions and beliefs. Sexual Abuse, 28(7), 660–678. https://doi.org/10.1177/1079063214564391

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Haslam, N. (2016). Concept creep: Psychology’s expanding concepts of harm and pathology. Psychological Inquiry, 27(1), 1–17. https://doi.org/10.1080/1047840X.2016.1082418

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Haslam, N., Dakin, B. C., Fabiano, F., McGrath, M. J., Rhee, J., Vylomova, E., Weaving, M., & Wheeler, M. A. (2020). Harm inflation: Making sense of concept creep. European Review of Social Psychology, 31(1), 254–286. https://doi.org/10.1080/10463283.2020.1796080

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Haslund, M. (1971). Sexbog med jomfruelige sider. Børn&Unge, 34, 6.

    Google Scholar 

  • Haslund, M. (1975). Gode lærebøger til børnehaven. Børn&Unge, 11, 8–9.

    Google Scholar 

  • Heinild, S. (1978). Sexuelt misbrug af børn. Børn&Unge, 36, 8–9.

    Google Scholar 

  • Held, F. (2000). Pressens behandling og indflydelse. In J. Rantorp (Ed.), På den anden side. Pædagogisk Medhjælper Forbund.

    Google Scholar 

  • Held, F. (2006). Når medierne tager magten. Frydenlund.

    Google Scholar 

  • Helweg-Larsen, K., Andersen, S., & Plauborg, R. (2010). Om forebyggelse af seksuelle overgreb mod børn: Kommunernes indsats og om skoleundervisning. Statens Institut for Folkesundhed; SDU.

    Google Scholar 

  • Hemmingsen, S. (2002). Vadstrupgård. Politiken, Section 2, 7.

    Google Scholar 

  • Jacobi, P., Kriedemann, H., Maier, L., & Peters, I. (1974). Sex-abc. Hans Reitzel.

    Google Scholar 

  • Janus Center. (2016). Statusrapport XIV (2003–2016). Copenhagen, Denmark. Retrieved from https://www.januscentret.dk/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/Statusrapport-2003-2016.pdf

  • Janus Center. (2020). Webpage for Janus Center. Retrieved from https://www.januscentret.dk/

  • Janus Center. (n.d.). The barometer of concern. Retrieved from https://www.januscentret.dk/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/Bekymringsbarometer_engelsk.pdf.

  • Jenkins, P. (1998). Moral panic: Changing concepts of the child molester in modern America. Yale University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Jenkins, P. (2003). Watching the research pendulum. In J. Bancroft (Ed.), Sexual development in childhood (pp. 3–19). Indiana University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Jenks, C. (1994). Child abuse in the postmodern context: An issue of social identity. Childhood, 2, 111–121.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Jensen, V. B. (1999). Børn krænker børn. Børn&Unge, 47, 1+6–11.

  • Jensen, V. B. (2005). Accepter uskyldige lege. Børn&Unge, 40, 12–16.

    Google Scholar 

  • Jensen, V. B. (2014). Ingen panik længere. Børn&Unge, 22, 15.

    Google Scholar 

  • Jessen, F. B. (2015). Flere børn er i institution længere tid end deres forældre er på job. Kristelig Dagblad. Retrieved from https://www.kristeligt-dagblad.dk/danmark/flere-boern-er-i-institution-laengere-tid-end-deres-foraeldre-er-paa-job. Accessed on January 12, 2019.

  • Johnson, R. T. (2000). Hands off! The disappearance of touch in the care of children. Peter Lang.

    Google Scholar 

  • Johnson, T. C. (1988). Child perpetrators – children who molest other children: Preliminary findings. Child Abuse & Neglect, 12, 219–229.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Johnson, T. C. (1989). Female child perpetrators: Children who molest other children. Child Abuse & Neglect, 13, 571–585.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Jørgensen, M. W., & Phillips, L. (1999). Diskursanalyse som teori og metode. Roskilde Universitetsforlag.

    Google Scholar 

  • Josephs, L. (2015). How children learn about sex: A cross-species and cross-cultural analysis. Archives of Sexual Behavior, 44(4), 1059–1069.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Korsgaard, O., Kristensen, J. E., & Jensen, H. S. (2017). Pædagogikkens idehistorie. Aarhus Universitetsforlag.

    Book  Google Scholar 

  • Kutchinsky, B. (1989). Incestpanikken i Cleveland. Nordisk Sexologi, 7(2/3), 89–108.

    Google Scholar 

  • Kutchinsky, B. (1992). The child sexual abuse panic. Nordisk Sexologi, 10(1), 30–42.

    Google Scholar 

  • La Fontaine, J. S. (1998). Speak of the devil: Tales of satanic abuse in contemporary England. Cambridge University Press.

    Book  Google Scholar 

  • Lamb, S., & Coakley, M. (1993). ‘“Normal”’ childhood sexual play and games: Differentiating play from abuse. Child Abuse and Neglect, 17, 515–526.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Larsen, J. H. (2013). ‘Doktorlege’ forbudt. Børn&Unge, 2, 6–7.

    Google Scholar 

  • Larsson, I., & Svedin, C.-G. (2001). Sexual behaviour in Swedish preschool children, as observed by their parents. Acta Paediatrica, 90, 436–444.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Larsson, I., Svedin, C.-G., & Friedrich, W. N. (2000). Differences and similarities in sexual behaviour among pre-schoolers in Sweden and USA. Nordic Journal of Psychiatry, 54, 251–257.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Leander, E.-M.B. (2015). Pædofilifrygtens følgevirkninger. Vera Tidsskrift for Pædagoger, 70, 54–56.

    Google Scholar 

  • Leander, E.-M.B. (2022). Doctor games. In D. P. VanderLaan & W. I. Wong (Eds.), Gender and sexuality development: Contemporary theory and research (pp. 345–349). Springer.

    Google Scholar 

  • Leander, E.-M.B., Larsen, P. L., & Munk, K. P. (2018). Children’s doctor games and nudity at Danish childcare institutions. Archives of Sexual Behavior, 47, 863–875.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Leander, E.-M.B., Munk, K. P., & Larsen, P. L. (2019). Guidelines for preventing child sexual abuse and wrongful allegations against staff at Danish childcare facilities. Societies, 9(2), 42. https://doi.org/10.3390/soc9020042

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Letourneau, E. J., & Caldwell, M. F. (2013). Expensive, harmful policies that don’t work or how juvenile sexual offending is addressed in the U.S. International Journal of Behavioral Consultation and Therapy, 8(3–4), 23–29.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Letourneau, E. J., Chapman, J. E., & Schoenwald, S. K. (2008). Treatment outcome and criminal offending by youth with sexual behavior problems. Child Maltreatment, 13(2), 133–144. https://doi.org/10.1177/1077559507306717

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Levine, J. (2002). Harmful to minors: The perils of protecting children from sex. University of Minnesota Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Lopez Sanchez, F., Del Campo, A., & Guijo, V. (2002). Pre-pubertal sexuality. Sexologies, 11, 49–58.

    Google Scholar 

  • Lukianoff, G., & Haidt, J. (2018). The coddling of the American mind: How good intentions and bad ideas are setting up a generation for failure. Penguin Books.

    Google Scholar 

  • Lyngskær, A. (2006). Hjælp til børn der krænker. Børn&Unge, 17, 24–26.

    Google Scholar 

  • Martin, K. A. (2014). Making sense of children’s sexual behavior in child care: An analysis of adult responses in special investigation reports. Child Abuse & Neglect, 38(10), 1636–1646. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chiabu.2014.07.002

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Mathieu, S. (2008). Fortielse er fjenden. Børn&Unge, 8, 18–23.

    Google Scholar 

  • Meyer, A. (2007). The child at risk: Paedophiles, media responses and public opinion. Manchester University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Miragoli, S., Camisasca, E., & Di Blasio, P. (2017). Child sexual behaviors in school context: Age and gender differences. Journal of Child Sexual Abuse, 26(2), 213–231. https://doi.org/10.1080/10538712.2017.1280866

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Mølvig, A. (1988). Børn og sex. Børn&Unge, 39, 12–13.

    Google Scholar 

  • Munk, K. P., Larsen, P. L., Leander, E. B., & Soerensen, K. (2013). Fear of child sex abuse: Consequences for childcare personnel in Denmark. Nordic Psychology, 65(1), 19–32.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Nielsen, A. G. (1998). Børns seksualitet er tabu. Børn&Unge, 39, 8–9.

    Google Scholar 

  • Nielsen, S. S. (2011). Plads til numselege. Børn&Unge, 7, 6–7.

    Google Scholar 

  • Nyrup, F. N. (2019). Vores seksualitet udvikles gradvist gennem det liv vi lever – også i barndommen. Pædagogisk Psykologisk Tidsskrift, 1, 55–66.

    Google Scholar 

  • O’Sullivan, L. F. (2003). Methodological issues associated with studies of child sexual behavior. In J. Bancroft (Ed.), Sexual development in childhood (pp. 23–33). Indiana University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • OECD (2016). PF3.2: Enrolment in childcare and pre-school 2016. http://www.oecd.org/els/soc/PF3_2_Enrolment_childcare_preschool.pdf.

  • Øhlenschlæger, S. E. (1972). Sex er tabu i børnebøgerne. Børn&Unge, 35, 4.

    Google Scholar 

  • Okami, P. (1992). “Child perpetrators of sexual abuse”: The emergence of a problematic deviant category. Journal of Sex Research, 29(1), 109–130. https://doi.org/10.1080/00224499209551637

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Okami, P., Olmstead, R., & Abramson, P. (1997). Sexual experiences in early childhood: 18-year longitudinal data from the UCLA Family Lifestyles Project. Journal of Sex Research, 34(4), 339–347.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Owens, G. (1920). Nursery school education. E. P. Dutton.

    Google Scholar 

  • Piper, H., & Stronach, I. (2008). Don’t touch! The educational story of a panic. Routledge.

    Book  Google Scholar 

  • Qvist, N. O., & Mortensen, M. N. (2009). Pædagoger bruger forældres hotline. Børn&Unge, 26, 10.

    Google Scholar 

  • Rademakers, J., Laan, M., & Straver, C. J. (2000). Studying children’s sexuality from the child’s perspective. In T. Sandfort & J. Rademakers (Eds.), Childhood sexuality: Normal sexual behavior and development (pp. 49–60). Haworth Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Rantorp, J. (2000). På den anden side. Pædagogisk Medhjælper Forbund.

    Google Scholar 

  • Rantorp, J., & Sander, E. (1999). Den gennemsigtige praksis. Om at forebygge overgreb på børn. BUPL and PMF.

    Google Scholar 

  • Rasmussen, J. (2000). Antallet af mistanker er eksploderet. Børn&Unge, 12, 11–12.

    Google Scholar 

  • Rebsdorf, G. (2011). Mælkekassen skræmmer. Børn&Unge, 22, 15.

    Google Scholar 

  • Retsudvalget. (2012). Redegørelse om reglerne for børneattester. Folketinget. Retrieved from https://www.ft.dk/samling/20111/almdel/reu/bilag/144/1052749.pdf

  • Reynolds, M. A., Herbenick, D. L., & Bancroft, J. H. (2003). The nature of childhood sexual experiences: Two studies 50 years apart. In J. Bancroft (Ed.), Sexual development in childhood (pp. 134–155). Indiana University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Riis, P. (1986). Skal vi lege? Hvor går grænsen. Børn&Unge, 15, 1+17–19.

  • Sander, E. (1981). Det vigtige er at man får en dejlig fornemmelse. Børn&Unge, 47, 15.

    Google Scholar 

  • Sander, E. (1998). Mennesket bag pædagogen. Børn&Unge, 46, 8–9.

    Google Scholar 

  • Sandfort, T. G. M., & Cohen-Kettenis, P. T. (2000). Sexual behavior in Dutch and Belgian children as observed by their mothers. Journal of Psychology & Human Sexuality, 12(1–2), 105–115.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Sandfort, T., & Rademakers, J. (Eds.). (2000). Childhood sexuality: Normal sexual behavior and development. Haworth Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Schoentjes, E., Deboutte, D., & Friedrich, W. (1999). Child sexual behavior inventory. Pediatrics, 104(4), 885–893.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Shawler, P., Silvis, V. G., Taylor, E. K., Shields, J., Beasley, L., & Silovsky, J. F. (2020). Early identification of youth with problematic sexual behavior: A qualitative study. Child Abuse & Neglect, 105, 104317. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chiabu.2019.104317

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Silovsky, J. F., & Niec, L. (2002). Characteristics of young children with sexual behavior problems: A pilot study. Child Maltreatment, 7(3), 187–197. https://doi.org/10.1177/1077559502007003002

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Silovsky, J. F., Letourneau, E. J., & Bonner, B. L. (2020). Introduction to CAN special issue: Children with problem sexual behavior. Child Abuse and Neglect, 105, 104508.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Skundberg, Ø. (2020). Hvordan forstå barns aldersnormale seksualitet i barnehagen. Nordisk Tidsskrift for Pedagogikk Og Kritikk, 6, 1–13.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Smith, C., Allardyce, S., Hackett, S., Bradbury-Jones, C., Lazenbatt, A., & Taylor, J. (2014). Practice and policy in the UK with children and young people who display harmful sexual behaviours: An analysis and critical review. Journal of Sexual Aggression, 20(3), 267–280. https://doi.org/10.1080/13552600.2014.927010

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Sommer, D., Samuelsson, I. P., & Hundeide, K. (2013). Early childhood care and education—A child perspective paradigm. European Early Childhood Education Research Journal, 21, 459–475.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Statistics Denmark (2014). Færre børn i daginstitutionerne efter skolereformen. Nyt Fra Danmarks Statistik, 162. Retrieved from http://www.dst.dk/Site/Dst/Udgivelser/nyt/GetPdf.aspx?cid=19245.

  • Stevnhøj, A. L. (2005). Børn og seksualitet: Om børns seksuelle udvikling, adfærd og leg samt om seksuelle overgreb: Til professionelle og forældre. Børns Vilkår.

    Google Scholar 

  • Stevnhøj, A. L. (2019). Webpage for Anna Louise Stevnhøj. Retrieved from https://boernogseksualitet.com/om-mig

  • Stevnhøj, A. L., & Gundelach, S. (2011). Doktorleg i børnehaven. Udviklingsforum. Retrieved from https://static1.squarespace.com/static/5cf44d5cd01e1f0001a621e3/t/5d120b2008728c000154c492/1561463589931/DOKTORLEGIBRNEHAVEN.pdf

  • Stillman, S. (2016). When juveniles are found guilty of sexual misconduct, the sex-offender registry can be a life sentence. The New Yorker. Retrieved from https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2016/03/14/when-kids-are-accused-of-sex-crimes

  • Svendsen, A. M. B., & Zeuthen, K. (2015). Spillerum: Undervisningsmateriale til forebyggelse af overgreb på børn og unge. Retrieved from https://vidensportal.dk/temaer/seksuelle-overgreb/indsatser/spillerum-undervisningsmateriale-til-forebyggelse-af-overgreb-pa-born-og-unge

  • Svendsen, L. F. H. (2008). Frygt. Forlaget Klim.

    Google Scholar 

  • T. (1970). Når pigen er en bly viol. Børn&Unge, 3, 18.

    Google Scholar 

  • Tener, D., Newman, A., Yates, P., & Tarshish, N. (2020). Child advocacy center intervention with sibling sexual abuse cases: Cross-cultural comparison of professionals’ perspectives and experiences. Child Abuse & Neglect, 105, 104259.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Thigpen, J. W., Pinkston, E. M., & Mayefsky, J. H. (2003). Normative sexual behavior of African American children. In J. Bancroft (Ed.), Sexual development in childhood (pp. 241–254). Indiana University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Thorsen, N, & Bendtsen, J. V. (2018, March 24). Overgreb mod børn blev forklædt som frisind: Skal vi til at omskrive historien om 70’erne? Politiken. Retrieved from https://politiken.dk/kultur/art6402329/Overgreb-mod-b%C3%B8rn-blev-forkl%C3%A6dt-som-frisind-Skal-vi-til-at-omskrive-historien-om-70erne

  • Tobin, J. (1997). Making a place for pleasure in early childhood education. Yale University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Tobin, J. (2001). Childhood sexuality after Freud: The problem of sex in early childhood education. In J. Winner & J. Andersen (Eds.), The Annual of Psychoanalysis Volume 23: Sigmund Freud and his impact on the modern world (pp. 179–200). The Analytic Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Tobin, J. (2004). The disappearance of the body in early childhood education. In L. Bresler (Ed.), Knowing bodies, moving minds: Towards embodied teaching and learning (pp. 111–125). Kluwer.

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  • Tobin, J. (2009). Sex and sexuality. In R. New & M. Cochran (Eds.), Early childhood education: An international encyclopedia (pp. 726–730). Greenwood.

    Google Scholar 

  • Trøiborg, I. (2020). I 11 år var Danmark hele verdens børnepornomekka – hvorfor greb ingen ind? Jyllands-Posten, 20–21.

  • Unknown photographer. (1975). A male director holding a naked child. Børn&Unge, 39, 9.

    Google Scholar 

  • Vanggaard, T. (1990). Sund politipraksis. Ugeskrift for Læger, 162, 3653–3654.

    Google Scholar 

  • Villemoes, S. (2020). En anden tid. Weekendavisen, 33, 16.

    Google Scholar 

  • Wachter, O. (1982). No more secrets for me. Puffin.

    Google Scholar 

  • Waiton, S. (2019). The vulnerable subject. Societies, 9(3), 66. https://doi.org/10.3390/soc9030066

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Weicher, I. (1985). Børn har brug for at snakke med nogen. Børn&Unge, 23, 26.

    Google Scholar 

  • Weiss, J. (2000). Kamptræner seks år i fængsel. Berlingske Tidende. Retrieved from https://www.berlingske.dk/samfund/kamptraener-seks-aar-i-faengsel

  • Widerberg, S. (1967). Far, mor, børn. Stig Vendelkærs forlag.

    Google Scholar 

  • Wurtele, S., & Kenny, M. (2011). Normative sexuality development in childhood: Implications for developmental guidance and prevention of childhood sexual abuse. Journal of Multicultural Counseling and Development, 43, 1–24.

    Google Scholar 

  • Zeuthen, K. E. (2019). Seksualitet i barndommen. In C. Graugaard, B. Møhl, & A. Giraldi (Eds.), Sexologi: faglige perspektiver på seksualitet. Munksgaard.

    Google Scholar 

  • Zimring, F. (2004). An American travesty. University of Chicago Press.

    Book  Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgements

Many thanks to associate professor Karen P. Munk, Aarhus University; The Danish Union of Early Childhood and Youth Educators (BUPL); Consultant from BUPL Peter Engelbrekt Petersen; editor of Børn&Unge Lene Søborg; journalist at Børn&Unge Steffen Hagemann; attorney Catrine Søndergaard Byrne; photographer Michael Daugaard and Birk Folke Daugaard; photographer Morten Nilsson; photographer Jonna Fuglsang Keldsen; illustrator Karen Borch; illustrator Pia Olsen; copyright-holders of the photographs by Gregers Nielsen: Søren Gregers Nielsen, Amanda Rohweder Nielsen, and Luka Roné; VISDA—Visual Rights Denmark; English language consultant Michaela Scioscia; Frantz Leander Hansen; Niels Buch Leander.

Funding

The research study presented in this article was partially funded by The Danish Union of Early Childhood and Youth Educators (BUPL).

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Culture and Society, Aarhus University, 8000, Aarhus, Denmark

    Else-Marie Buch Leander

Authors
  1. Else-Marie Buch Leander
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Else-Marie Buch Leander.

Ethics declarations

Conflict of interest

The author declares no conflict of interest.

Ethical Approval

I honor the ethical author responsibilities.

Additional information

Publisher's Note

Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.

Rights and permissions

Springer Nature or its licensor holds exclusive rights to this article under a publishing agreement with the author(s) or other rightsholder(s); author self-archiving of the accepted manuscript version of this article is solely governed by the terms of such publishing agreement and applicable law.

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Leander, EM.B. Children’s Sexuality and Nudity in Discourse and Images in a Danish Education and Care Journal over 50 Years (1970–2019): The Emergence of “The Child Perpetrator of Sexual Abuse” in an International Perspective. Arch Sex Behav 52, 49–78 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10508-022-02421-5

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Revised:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10508-022-02421-5

Keywords

Search

Navigation