Les relations affectives et sexuelles des jeunes en situation de rue : entre investissement et désinvestissement

oleh: Philippe-Benoit Côté, Martin Blais, Céline Bellot, Hélène Manseau

Format: Article
Diterbitkan: Ecole Nationale de Protection Judiciaire de la Jeunesse

Deskripsi

The affective and sexual relationships of street-involved youths are often examined in terms of survival, with few considerations for their subjective experience. Relying on sociological work focusing on individual agency, this paper describes the representations of affective and sexual relationships of street-involved youths in Montreal. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with twenty-seven street-involved youths (16 women, 11 men) aged 18 to 25 years. Testimonies reveal that for some participants, involvement in affective and sexual relationships strengthens a sense of belonging to the street context. Other participants keep their emotional and sexual relationships involvement minimal, as they worry that such relationships may compromise their odds of exiting the street. This study highlights the strategic dimension of affective and sexual relationships among street-involved youths in order to improve their living conditions.