This study sets out to explore the perceptions of life orientation teachers of child sexual abuse (CSA) in primary schools. Teachers in this study consist of a selection of Life Orientation teachers who are normally involved in the management of CSA. Child sexual abuse is a widespread problem in schools not only in South Africa, but internationally. The topic is relevant today because child sexual abuse has many negative, physical, emotional, psychological and educational consequences. One of the most significant problems children face today is the threat of sexual abuse. Child sexual abuse is a global phenomenon that is regarded as one of the greatest social problems of the 21st century. Learners are at risk of sexual abuse by teachers, scholar patrollers, family members and community members. Child sexual abuse in schools is defined by the study as the unwelcome contact or non-contact sexual behaviour on a learner. There is a perception that most victims of child sexual abuse are young children and do not report sexual abuse because they are afraid to expose their perpetrators. The study will benefit children in primary schools at informal settlements and in Gauteng East because learners will be equipped with information that child sexual abuse is against their rights and perpetrators must be reported without fear. Most child sexual abuse is not reported; detected or prosecuted hence as a priority we must identify and protect children who are being sexually abused or are at risk of sexual abuse. My choice of qualitative approach was influenced by the work I am doing presently at school. The researcher used pseudonyms not actual names when describing schools’ names. I am working as a teacher at a Primary School in Slovo-Park, Springs, in Gauteng East, Gauteng Province. In this study, the design and methods on perceptions of selected stakeholders on child sexual abuse are discussed. The study explains why the explorative qualitative research design and interpretative paradigm were adopted to assess the perceptions of the participants on child sexual abuse. The researcher explains the interview technique as a data gathering tool used. In addition, the description of the ethical considerations that guided the researcher during data collection from the participants is described. The study focused on a small number of 9 Life Orientation teachers in order to provide in-depth, detailed information about perceptions of sexual abuse in schools. In this study the researcher used Bronfenbrenner’s ecological system’s model. These systems are; (1) The Microsystem; (2) The Mesosystem; (3) Exosystem ;( 4) The Macro system; (5) Chronosystem. These interrelated contexts as well as the individual setting can therefore be used to form an understanding of the contexts and settings involved in forming the perceptions of Life Orientation teachers. The researcher used purposive sampling to select both schools and participants. In addition, from each school three (3) Life Orientation teachers were selected making a total of 9 participants from the schools. Data was collected from 9 participants, namely 9 Life Orientation teachers selected purposefully because these teachers are mainly involved in life skills and Life Orientation and were trained in the area and they have continuous contact and knowledge of learners who may be at risk of child sexual abuse. Findings indicate that child sexual abuse impacts negatively on the emotional health, physical health, and academic achievement of the abused learner. / Educational Foundations / M. Ed. (Socio-Education)

Several studies suggest that sexual assaults are experienced differently by males than by females. In dominant discourses in which sexual perpetration is associated with males and sexual victimisation with females, males are expected to practice and exhibit hegemonic masculinity. This gendered perception of sexual assaults means that female perpetration of male child sexual abuse often goes unrecognised and that male perpetration is particularly problematic for male victims. Using a feminist critical paradigm and critical discourse analysis as a research design, this study explored how a sample of male victims in Zimbabwe experienced sexual abuse as children and how they were affected by it. The study, further, explored how the male victims of childhood sexual abuse sought to reconcile the experience of victimisation with their identity as males. Nine men participated in the study. The sample was, due to the sensitive nature of the topic, purposively selected using letters describing the nature of the study and inviting participation. The letters were distributed through diverse channels, including a newspaper with national coverage. Most participants reported experiences of female perpetrated abuse. The study found that, in keeping with dominant discourses of hegemonic masculinity, the participants struggled to construct themselves as victims. Many of the participants were considerably and negatively affected by having been sexually abused. Participants utilised a variety of methods to come to terms with the fact that they were males who had been victimised. / Psychology / M.A. (Psychology)

Text in Afrikaans / The researchers' own interaction with the community caused her to recognize that the safety of pre-schoolers and toddlers in high risk areas are being jeopardised because sexual education is not applied soon enough. The aim of this research study was to determine the needs of role-players in the high risk area in terms of community education regarding the safety of pre-schoolers. A quantitative approach was followed, which focussed on applied research and the exploratory and descriptive objectives of the research in order to facilitate a better understanding of the research phenomenon and to understand the specifics of the situation. The Randomised Cross-sectional Survey design was implemented. The analysed findings were presented graphically and interpreted in order to reach conclusions and present the recommendations of the study. The general conclusion based upon the empirical findings of the study is that there is a great need for community education regarding the safety of pre-schoolers in the high-risk area, Danville. / Social Work / M. Diac. (Play Therapy)

Text in Afrikaans / The researchers' own interaction with the community caused her to recognize that the safety of pre-schoolers and toddlers in high risk areas are being jeopardised because sexual education is not applied soon enough. The aim of this research study was to determine the needs of role-players in the high risk area in terms of community education regarding the safety of pre-schoolers. A quantitative approach was followed, which focussed on applied research and the exploratory and descriptive objectives of the research in order to facilitate a better understanding of the research phenomenon and to understand the specifics of the situation. The Randomised Cross-sectional Survey design was implemented. The analysed findings were presented graphically and interpreted in order to reach conclusions and present the recommendations of the study. The general conclusion based upon the empirical findings of the study is that there is a great need for community education regarding the safety of pre-schoolers in the high-risk area, Danville. / Social Work / M. Diac. (Play Therapy)

Increasing tourism numbers in third world countries affect their economies and certain aspects of their society positively; however, there are concomitant negative effects that expose the dark side of the tourism industry. One of these is the escalating commercial sexual exploitation of children (CSEC), particularly child prostitution (CP) in the context of tourism, a phenomenon known as child sex tourism (CST). Although tourism plays an important role in creating the perfect storm of poverty-stricken children colliding with wealthy tourists, it is not solely responsible for this phenomenon. Internationally and nationally, the lacuna of knowledge on CST in particular hampers an informed response by way of resource allocation and coordinated service delivery to both victims and perpetrators. Utilising a qualitative research approach, and the collective case study and phenomenological research designs complemented by an explorative, descriptive and contextual strategy of inquiry, the researcher explored the status of the knowledge of and response to the CSEC through the lens of closely associated role players, who were purposively selected for inclusion in the study. These were adult survivors who were as children engaged in sex work and victims of child sex tourism, social workers and non-social workers involved in rendering child welfare and protection services, members of the Family Violence Child Protection and Sexual Offences (FCS) Unit of the South African Police Service (SAPS) and representatives of the hospitality and tourism industry. Data was collected via individual in-depth semi-structured interviews, telephone interviews, and email-communication and thematically analysed. The researcher found that a range of microsystem level factors, such as poverty and family dysfunction, pushed children to the street, and as a means to survive engage in sex work, enabling tourists (i.e. local - out of towners) and foreigners, mainly men from varied sexual orientation) to commercially sexually exploit both boys and girls, from as young as nine years of age, and of different race groups, which leave them with physical and psychological scars. The following main findings surfaced: The social workers, in comparison to the non-social workers, who have a primary responsibility to provide child welfare and protection services were ill-informed in terms of identifying CST as phenomenon, untrained and/or slow to respond appropriately with interventions directed to the victims and perpetrators of CSEC. The service provider groups, as microsystems interfacing on a mesosystem, were fraught with perceptions that the social workers and the SAPS were being inadequate. Furthermore a lack of cooperation, collaboration and communication between the service provider groups to respond to CSEC existed. The hospitality and tourism industry service representatives were also ill-informed about the phenomena of CP and CST with a response that at best can be labelled as fluctuating between an indirect response to that of turning a blind-eye. From the findings, recommendations for social work practice, education and training and recommendations specific for the other closely associated role players in responding to the CSEC were forwarded. / Social Work / D.Phil. (Social Work)

Increasing tourism numbers in third world countries affect their economies and certain aspects of their society positively; however, there are concomitant negative effects that expose the dark side of the tourism industry. One of these is the escalating commercial sexual exploitation of children (CSEC), particularly child prostitution (CP) in the context of tourism, a phenomenon known as child sex tourism (CST). Although tourism plays an important role in creating the perfect storm of poverty-stricken children colliding with wealthy tourists, it is not solely responsible for this phenomenon. Internationally and nationally, the lacuna of knowledge on CST in particular hampers an informed response by way of resource allocation and coordinated service delivery to both victims and perpetrators. Utilising a qualitative research approach, and the collective case study and phenomenological research designs complemented by an explorative, descriptive and contextual strategy of inquiry, the researcher explored the status of the knowledge of and response to the CSEC through the lens of closely associated role players, who were purposively selected for inclusion in the study. These were adult survivors who were as children engaged in sex work and victims of child sex tourism, social workers and non-social workers involved in rendering child welfare and protection services, members of the Family Violence Child Protection and Sexual Offences (FCS) Unit of the South African Police Service (SAPS) and representatives of the hospitality and tourism industry. Data was collected via individual in-depth semi-structured interviews, telephone interviews, and email-communication and thematically analysed. The researcher found that a range of microsystem level factors, such as poverty and family dysfunction, pushed children to the street, and as a means to survive engage in sex work, enabling tourists (i.e. local - out of towners) and foreigners, mainly men from varied sexual orientation) to commercially sexually exploit both boys and girls, from as young as nine years of age, and of different race groups, which leave them with physical and psychological scars. The following main findings surfaced: The social workers, in comparison to the non-social workers, who have a primary responsibility to provide child welfare and protection services were ill-informed in terms of identifying CST as phenomenon, untrained and/or slow to respond appropriately with interventions directed to the victims and perpetrators of CSEC. The service provider groups, as microsystems interfacing on a mesosystem, were fraught with perceptions that the social workers and the SAPS were being inadequate. Furthermore a lack of cooperation, collaboration and communication between the service provider groups to respond to CSEC existed. The hospitality and tourism industry service representatives were also ill-informed about the phenomena of CP and CST with a response that at best can be labelled as fluctuating between an indirect response to that of turning a blind-eye. From the findings, recommendations for social work practice, education and training and recommendations specific for the other closely associated role players in responding to the CSEC were forwarded. / Social Work / D. Phil. (Social Work)