Empowerment services for sexually abused children offered by non-profit organisations in the Western Cape

[摘要] ENGLISH ABSTRACT: Child sexual abuse (CSA) is a global pandemic which attains constant media attention. The scourge of child sexual abuse is ever-growing and resources to address the issues related to CSA are diminishing; this, despite South Africa being a forerunner in the development of policy and legislation to protect children against such abuse.The ecological perspective was used as the theoretical framework for this study. The research question for the study was: 'What is the nature of empowerment services rendered by non-profit organisations (NPOs) in the Western Cape? Therefore, the goal of the study which is to contribute to an improved understanding of the nature of empowerment services rendered by non-profit organisations to sexually abused children was achieved. Appropriate recommendations could thus be made in keeping with current policy and legislative frameworks related to child sexual abuse.A qualitative research approach was applied, using an exploratory and descriptive design. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 20 participants, who are service providers at NPOs that render services in the field of child sexual abuse. Service providers working at NPOs in the Western Cape were selected through purposive non-probability sampling. Data analysis was guided by the eight step approach offered by Tesch (1990) in Creswell (2014).Significant findings of the study were that service providers employed by NPOs have difficulty translating policy and legislation into direct service provision; as service provision is often hampered due to lack of adequate funding and resources. It became increasingly evident that substantial collaboration is required between NPOs and government in order to address the scourge of child sexual abuse. Even more significant findings are the apparent increase in peer related child sexual abuse and the lack of referrals of victims of child trafficking to service providers.

[发布机构] Stellenbosch University