Safe Futures Hub. (2025). Children displaying harmful sexual behaviors (HSB): Evidence and responses. Safe Futures Hub.

Abstract

The current global response to Harmful Sexual Behaviors (HSB) among children is failing. Despite growing awareness, support systems remain fragmented, reactive, and disconnected from the lived realities of children. This report, based on an evidence review and stakeholder consultations with nine global experts, finds that while the drivers of HSB, rooted in trauma, peer dynamics, and digital ecosystems, are increasingly understood, prevention efforts often start too late and are undermined by systemic failures.

However, this research also identifies are clear path forward. Impactful, innovative models already exist, offering proof-of-concept that a different approach is possible. This report offers actionable strategies to scale these successes and shift from a reactive, punitive paradigm toward a holistic, rights-based approach grounded in prevention.