A Qualitative Study of Precursors to Rape in Sexual Behaviour of Juvenile Offenders with Underage Partners in Malaysia

In many countries, statutory rape laws are applied to both adults and adolescents. Consequently, statutory rape laws would view adolescents who have normative sexual behaviours as sexual offenders. The study questions the assumption that adolescents who engage in sexual intercourse with an underage partner should be automatically charged as sexual offenders and presumed to have a 'rape mentality', as this potentially violates their rights as children. Therefore, the aim of this study was to assess Malaysian adolescents who have sex with an underage partner in terms of their precursors to rape mentality. Ten juvenile offenders in three juvenile detention centres were recruited and interviewed regarding their experience of having sexual intercourse with an underage partner. While some offenders exhibited several precursors such as believing in rape myths and having a casual attitude towards sex, most of the offenders exhibited normative behaviours related to adolescent sexuality. The implications of the study are discussed.