Quarter of girls in special education high schools forced into sexual acts

27 percent of girls in secondary special education say that they were forced to engage in sexual acts at least once, compared to around 7 percent of girls in mainstream education, Rutgers and Soa Aids Netherlands reported on Thursday. This concerns pupil from so-called cluster 4 schools, intended for children with serious behavioral problems or mental health problems, NU.nl reports.

The forced sexual actions usually involve kissing or touching against their will. A quarter of the girls said that they were forced to give a blow job or a hand job. 13 percent said they were forced to have sexual intercourse. Among boys in cluster 4 schools, 3 percent said they were forced into sexual acts, and 2 percent said they were forced to have sexual intercourse.

35 percent of girls in special education told the researchers that they have sexual experience. That percentage is almost twice as high as among girls in mainstream education. In the field of romantic relationships, there is no difference among girls in special- and mainstream education.

The researchers also found that a quarter of girls in special education shared a nude photo or video of themselves at least once, compared to 6 percent of girls in mainstream education. "Extra attention is needed for this vulnerability", according to the researchers.

For this study the researchers spoke to 1,113 young people, 807 of which are in special education.