ABSTRACT
A contextual account of peer-on-peer abuse highlights the social lens required to explore 'freedom' as a critical factor to understanding culpability and responsibility as well as consent. This chapter shows the legal and policy framework for how 'choice' is constructed by policy and legislation in England and Wales and then critically assesses this construction with reference to the account of peer-on-peer abuse. It argues questions about how the agency of young people is conceived of by policymakers, practitioners and researchers concerned with violence, abuse and child protection and add to wider calls which have been made for a social account of the choices made by young people. In some instances achieving cultural status was a means to achieving safety, but in other instances securing safety impacted negatively on the cultural status of those involved. The pursuit of safety was particularly evident amongst young people who were not afforded access to a field with an alternative social script.
