Recanting is a recognized phenomenon in child sexual abuse cases, particularly in cases of incest. When children report cases of sexual abuse, it often set motions in their environment to safeguard them from experiencing further abuse. Children may decide to take back their allegations, in most cases leading to recanting. When children recant, it may be a way to attempt to put their world back to the way it was before anyone found out about the abuse. This behaviour is often misunderstood by professionals who may conclude prematurely that the abuse never occurred in the first place. The child may want the abuse to end but never imagined the consequences of the disclosure for them and the family. The aim of this research is to find out the reasons why children recant their disclosures of sexual abuse. The study suggests that there are various reasons why children recant their disclosures of sexual abuse ranging from fear, socio economic reasons, threats and disbelief from their parents or caregivers. It also suggests that there is a need for social workers to be trained on dealing with children who have recanted their disclosures of sexual abuse and to emphasize on getting therapy for the child that has recanted the sexual abuse allegations. / MSW (Forensic Practice), North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2014

Recanting is a recognized phenomenon in child sexual abuse cases, particularly in cases of incest. When children report cases of sexual abuse, it often set motions in their environment to safeguard them from experiencing further abuse. Children may decide to take back their allegations, in most cases leading to recanting. When children recant, it may be a way to attempt to put their world back to the way it was before anyone found out about the abuse. This behaviour is often misunderstood by professionals who may conclude prematurely that the abuse never occurred in the first place. The child may want the abuse to end but never imagined the consequences of the disclosure for them and the family. The aim of this research is to find out the reasons why children recant their disclosures of sexual abuse. The study suggests that there are various reasons why children recant their disclosures of sexual abuse ranging from fear, socio economic reasons, threats and disbelief from their parents or caregivers. It also suggests that there is a need for social workers to be trained on dealing with children who have recanted their disclosures of sexual abuse and to emphasize on getting therapy for the child that has recanted the sexual abuse allegations. / MSW (Forensic Practice), North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2014