Student Number: 9804661E
Master of Arts: Social Work
Faculty of Humanities / Given the high incidences of child abuse not only in informal settlements, but in
South Africa as a whole. The present study looks at the social factors that
contribute to child abuse in informal settlements. To identify specific social
factors in an informal settlement i.e. Ivory Park, which make children in this
community to be vulnerable to child abuse. The study aims to identify different
forms of child abuse, which occur in Ivory Park, to develop an understanding of
the family structure and the functioning of the families. The study further explored
the perception of community members on child abuse, and their knowledge and
awareness on children’s rights.
The study also attempts to bring to our attention that concern about the problem
of child abuse is not new. It acknowledges the historical context of this problem,
that throughout history children world-wide have been subjected to domination,
murder, abandonment, mutilations and forced labour. Practices that seem brutal
and senseless today like infanticide and ritual sacrifices of children are actually
recorded in the Bible. These were considered normal and acceptable practices at
the time. The systematic study of child abuse is fairly a recent phenomenon, it’s
only in the sixties that this issue has been discussed and debated in certain parts
of the world.
The study also points out that the problem of child abuse is not unique to South
Africa, but it is a problem in many parts of the world. Also that the understanding
of child abuse has shifted over time. The central force behind these changes has
been the establishment of various organisations in North America and Europe.
These organisations opposed violence against children and advocated for the
rights of the children. In South Africa this change came about when the present
South African government ratified the United Nations Convention on the Rights of
the Children in 1996 and also when the Rights of the Child were enshrined in
Section 28 of the Bill of Rights of the Constitution of the Republic of South Africa.
The study poses a question as to why child abuse cases and statistics seem to
be on the rise and understanding why children are being abused when there are
so many pieces of legislation and human rights documents, that aims to
safeguard the interest and the protection of children particularly in South Africa.
The study also looks at different theoretical perspective on child abuse to help us
in terms of explaining and understanding as to why children are abuse. Finally,
the study looks at different social factors specific to South Africa that might
contribute to child abuse, and the history and location of Ivory Park. On the basis
of the findings of this study, the researcher makes some recommendations
through which professionals in the helping professions together with community
members can address the problem of child abuse in informal settlement.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:netd.ac.za/oai:union.ndltd.org:wits/oai:wiredspace.wits.ac.za:10539/2168 |
| Date | 28 February 2007 |
| Creators | Nathane, Motlalepula Sophie |
| Source Sets | South African National ETD Portal |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Thesis |
| Format | 17809 bytes, 45521 bytes, 101983 bytes, 26608 bytes, 97677 bytes, 35527 bytes, 12935 bytes, application/pdf, application/pdf, application/pdf, application/pdf, application/pdf, application/pdf, application/pdf, application/pdf, application/pdf, application/pdf, application/pdf, application/pdf, application/pdf, application/pdf |
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