Child Abuse Research in South Africa

The prevalence and risk factors for complex developmental trauma (CDT) were examined in a convenience sample of 723 secondary school students attending a high school in Durban, South Africa. Prevalence rates for CDT were high in the study sample (8.2%), with a current diagnosis of CDT being independent of a current diagnosis of PTSD in 70% of cases. Consistent with predictions, a current diagnosis of CDT was more likely (OR = 16.0) in cases where exposure to domestic violence had been both chronic (>1 year) and had occurred at an early age (0-6 years). A current diagnosis of PTSD was not found to be related to childhood exposure to domestic violence. Study findings are discussed in relation to their implications for intervention and for future research.

Child abuse remains a major issue in South Africa. In many cases, the emergency removal of a child from his/her family is necessary in order to protect the child from further harm. Working with children and families in these contexts is a specialised field within social work, and as such requires specialised interventions. There is a gap in terms of providing professionals with a practice model for implementing emergency child protection interventions with children at risk. This study aims to address this gap by means of developing a model for practice. In the development of such a practice model, this article describes the various elements which need to be incorporated into the model: legislation, intervention strategies, social work theories, the best interest of the child standard and ethical principles.

Adolescence, as a stage of life, initiates psychosocial and psychosexual changes in teenagers. Amid the (sometimes confusing) process of sexual development and maturation, many adolescents have access to cutting edge media technologies and could access or be exposed to content which is sexual in nature. Sexting refers to the sending, receiving and/or forwarding of nude or sexually suggestive photographs and/or sexually explicit messages across social media platforms. In the case of minors, sexting is considered a criminal offence. This article describes the gendered experiences of secondary school learners regarding online victimisation and the expectancies (positive and negative) of sending and receiving sexts. Data was collected from 83 learners (mean age of 14.3 years) attending two private schools in Gauteng. The self-administered questionnaire contained standardised scales which allowed for total scores to be calculated. Significant differences featured between male and female learners on 8 of the 14 variables measuring online victimisation, including “People have posted rude or mean things about me online”, “People have asked me to send sexy pictures/photographs online” and “People have continued to engage sexually with me online, even after I asked them to stop”. The sextpectancies measure revealed gendered differences insofar as positive attitudes towards sending sexts, but not regarding negative sentiments toward sending texts. However, gender differences featured across both positive and negative expectancies of receiving texts. The results suggest gendered policy responses to adolescent sexting. The challenges of gaining access to and participation by adolescents on topics of the present nature will also be discussed.