M.Ed. / Child sexual abuse is a deep social concern in South Africa. Its impact affects all areas of development, which warrants a need for appropriate therapeutic intervention. Despite a need for such an intervention, many children, especially boys from disadvantaged African communities, are still without such services. This made me wonder, as an intern-Educational Psychologist, how to help such children. In my search to help them I found that available literature does not document sexual abuse among boys, especially from disadvantaged African communities. Instead it focuses on sexual abuse among girls, women and men. Hence, this study was proposed. The aim of this study is to describe and explore, from an Educational Psychology perspective, the life stories of boys who have been sexually abused. The study presents an in-depth exploration of how the five boys in the research group made meaning of their experiences with sexual abuse. The qualitative research paradigm with a phenomenological design was followed in this study. Data was mainly collected through Narrative Therapy sessions and other complementary methods. In analyzing data, the narrative method of data analysis categorical content mode, was followed. The findings were presented as metaphorical stories, which include: The story of ‘The Rubbish’, “it mixes up my mind” and “it tears what you like”. The conclusion was that boys who have been sexually abused can be aided in their healing process through psychotherapy. Therefore, further research should be done on an appropriate psychotherapy approaches for boys who have been sexually abused and as well as on strategies to encourage the boys to report the abuse immediately. The findings of this study may be helpful to educational psychologists and other therapists working with boys who have been sexually abused. / Dr. E. Fritz

Thesis (M Social Work)--Stellenbosch University, 2013. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: The sexual abuse of boys is regarded as a worldwide problem. Even in South Africa the sexual abuse of boys is described as an epidemic that as the social work phenomenon of women as perpetrators, can no longer be seen as rare. Although legislation, The South African Children’s Act, 38 of 2005 (2006) and The Sexual Offences Amendment Act, 32 of 2007, have contributed to a greater awareness with regards to the boy as victim of sexual abuse, there still is a lot of misconceptions with regards to the boy as victim of sexual abuse. A need for formal scientific research with regards to this problem was therefore identified and lead to the conducting of this study. Focusing on the sexual abuse of the boy in middle childhood was the purpose of this study, because the middle childhood is seen as the most vulnerable developmental phase for the boy to be sexually abused in. Social workers play a primary role in the prevention, early intervention, intervention and after care in this regard. This study was aimed at determining social workers’ opinions on the sexual abuse of boys in middle childhood. The purpose of the study was met through the five goals that were determined. The goals of the study were to discuss the middle childhood as developmental phase within a human developmental perspective and to describe the sexual abuse of boys as social work phenomenon, in order to develop insight with regards to the sexual abuse of boys. Goals determined for the purpose of this study also included the discussion of the sexual abuse of boys as social work phenomenon, focusing on the definition of sexual abuse, inclining factors to sexual abuse, the types of sexual abuse and the context and motivation for sexual abuse of boys. To discuss the different types of perpetrators in the sexual abuse of boys and to investigate the motivations of perpetrators with regards to the sexual abuse of boys were also goals that were determined. This study’s goals were also to investigate the opinions of social workers with regards to the sexual abuse of boys in middle childhood and to make recommendations regarding the promoting of social work service delivery to the sexually abused boy. The literature study that was undertaken builds a foundation for the problem of the sexual abuse of the boy in middle childhood to be seen, within the right context. An explorative and descriptive study was conducted with twenty seven social workers in the Western Cape, Olifantsrivervalley area as geographical area. Semi-structured questionnaires were used for data collection. The results were purposefully processed and analyzed according to a qualitative- and quantitative research method. The empirical study’s findings enabled the researcher to come to certain conclusions. Using the literature study, the empirical study, findings and conclusions that followed on that, recommendations could be made to social workers in order to promote social work service delivery to the sexually abused boy in middle childhood. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Die seksuele mishandeling van seuns word as ‘n wêreldwye probleem beskou. Ook in Suid- Afrika word die seksuele mishandeling van seuns as ‘n epidemie beskryf wat net soos die maatskaplike werk verskynsel van vroue oortreders, nie meer as raar beskou kan word nie. Alhoewel wetgewing soos Die Suid-Afrikaanse Kinderwet, 38 van 2005 (2006), asook Die Wysigingswet op die Strafreg (seksuele misdrywe en verwante aangeleenthede), 32 van 2007, bygedra het tot ‘n groter bewustheid van die seun as slagoffer van seksuele mishandeling, bestaan daar steeds baie wanbegrippe ten opsigte van die die seun as slagoffer van seksuele mishandeling. ‘n Behoefte aan formele wetenskaplike navorsing met betrekking tot hierdie probleem is geïdentifiseer met die gevolg dat hierdie studie onderneem is. Vir die doel van hierdie studie is daar gefokus op die seksuele mishandeling van die seun in sy middelkinderjare, aangesien die middelkinderjare as die mees weerloosste ontwikkelingsfase beskou word vir die seun om seksueel mishandel te word. Maatskaplike werkers speel ‘n primêre rol in die voorkoming, vroeë intervensie, intervensie en nasorg in hierdie verband. Hierdie studie het daarom ten doel gehad om maatskaplike werkers se sienings oor die seksuele mishandeling van seuns in die middelkinderjare te bepaal. Die doel van die studie is bereik na aanleiding van vyf doelwitte wat gestel is. Die doelwitte van die studie was om die middelkinderjare as ontwikkelingsfase binne ‘n menslike ontwikkelingsperspektief te bespreek en om die seksuele mishandeling van die seun as maatskaplike werk verskynsel te verduidelik ten einde begrip met betrekking tot die probleem van seksuele mishandeling van seuns te ontwikkel. Doelwitte wat gestel is ten einde die doel van die studie te bereik, het onder andere behels om seksuele mishandeling van seuns as maatskaplike werk verskynsel te beskou, deur te fokus op die definiëring van seksuele mishandeling, aanleidende faktore tot seksuele mishandeling, die vorme van seksuele mishandeling en die konteks en motivering van seksuele mishandeling van seuns. Om die verskillende tipes oortreders in die seksuele mishandeling van seuns te bespreek en om ondersoek in te stel na die motiverings van oortreders ten opsigte van die seksuele mishandeling van seuns, was ook as doelwit gestel. Hierdie studie se doelwitte was ook om ‘n ondersoek te doen na die sienings van maatskaplike werkers ten opsigte van die seksuele mishandeling van seuns in die middelkinderjare en om aanbevelings te maak ten opsigte van die bevordering van maatskaplike werk dienslewering aan die seksueel mishandelde seun. Die literatuurstudie wat gedoen is het ‘n fondasie geskep om die probleem van die seksuele mishandeling van die seun in sy middelkinderjare, in die regte konteks te kan beskou. ‘n Verkennende en beskrywende studie is gedoen en het sewe-en-twintig maatskaplike werkers in die Wes-Kaap, Olifantsriviervallei area as geografiese gebied ingesluit. Semigestruktureerde vraelyste is benut om inligting in te samel. Die resultate was volgens ‘n kwalitatiewe- en kwantitatiewe navorsingsmetode verwerk en geanaliseer. Die empiriese ondersoek se bevindinge het die navorser in staat gestel om sekere gevolgtrekkings te maak. Na aanleiding van die literatuurstudie, die empiriese ondersoek, die bevindinge en die gevolgtrekkings wat daarop gevolg het, kon aanbevelings gemaak word aan maatskaplike werkers ten einde die maatskaplike werk dienslewering aan die seksueel mishandelde seun in sy middelkinderjare te bevorder.

This thesis focuses on disclosure of sexual abuse by men who were sexually abused either as children or adolescents. The research questions that it set out to answer were 'why and how do males in Australia disclose to another person that they have been sexually abused?' Aims were to understand disclosure from the perspective of male survivors in Australia, identify the factors that inhibit, trigger and facilitate disclosure, and develop a theory of disclosure reflecting the processes involved.

Thesis ((M.A. (Social work)) -- University of Limpopo, 2021 / Survivors of child sexual abuse experience a lot but various challenges in their everyday lives. The overall aim of the study was to describe the experiences of male adult survivors of child sexual abuse at Ga-Matlala, Limpopo Province. The study objectives were to identify types of child sexual abuse cases at Ga- Matlala uperpetrated prior 1994; to determine how adult male survivors of child sexual abuse handle their life problems; to describe the social impact of child sexual abuse on male adult survivors; and to recommend appropriate professional intervention to male adult survivors of child sexual abuse. The study utilised descriptive research design. The data was collected through semi-structured face-to-face interviews from three (3) survivors of child sexual abuse who were sexually abused prior 1994 who are residing at Ga-Matlala area. The sample consisted of survivors of child sexual abuse drawn from the database of Bakone Tribal Council compiled and administered pre 1994. A thematic analysis method was selected. Thematic analysis organises and describes data set in detail. The data was analysed in eight steps.Ethical considerations such as voluntary participation, permission to conduct the study, anonymity, confidentiality and no harm to respondents were considered.The researcher found that two survivors indicated to be having abilities to resolve their personal problems while one participant has indicated to be having problems in resolving his personal problems. All three survivors indicated to be engaged in an intimate relationships. All there survivors indicated to have had experienced child sexual abuse more than once and they also indicated to have had experienced more than one type of sexual abuse. Two participants out of three survivors had not reported of imitating what they experienced while one has adopted the lifestyle but he is not doing it with children like it was done to him. All survivors indicated to have forgiven their perpetrators. All of survivors indicated that their childhood experience had a negative impact in their childhood lives and it still has a negative influence in their adult life. All three survivors indicated to have not accessed professional assistance in their childhood even during their participation in the study they have not yet accessed professional intervention towards their past traumatic experience. However, all three survivors acknowledged the fact that post traumatic intervention is important to their personal growth with regard to finding closure, gaining confidence and finding coping strategies that will be helpful in facing their personal problems with an open mind and positivity of finding solutions without tracing their childhood past into it. The researcher concluded that all the participants of the study had experienced different kinds or types of child sexual abuse and it has negatively impacted them. Being involved in an intimate relationship was not difficult for the survivors as all of them were engaged in intimate relationships. All three survivors need to access professional help for them to overcome the impact of their past child sexual abuse experience. There is a huge difference/gap regarding the previous findings and the current findings mainly because most of the previous studies were European based than African Based (South Africa) and it was also showing a gap between European based Theories and African based theories when dealing with child sexual abuse. The main recommendation that the researcher had was to motivate the survivors to participate in the process of accessing professional help to enable them to deal with their current lives without tracing everything back to their childhood.