However, the blame may shift to the guardian as a protector and the one who is supposed to care for the child victim. The discovery of child rape affects not only the child, but also the family concerned. Caregivers can also be supportive by monitoring the sleeping and eating patterns of child victims (McCahill et al., 1979).
According to Robertson (1989), rape disclosure devastates caregivers who are simultaneously expected to care for the child victim. The following is a description of the relationship between the caregiver and the child rape victim. With the consent of the carer, all interviews, which were conducted in the carers' own language, were recorded on tape.
One of the factors that affects the disclosure process is when the child is threatened by the abuser not to tell anyone. Consistent with findings from other studies, caregivers in this study learned about child abuse from various sources such as other children, neighbors, and the child's siblings. The child's father heard from the neighbor who tried to knock and found the door closed.
Relatives' response after disclosure of rape has an effect on the future well-being of child rape victims (Robertson, 1989). Upon discovering the rape of their children, caregivers in this study demonstrated different reactions. None of the caregivers who participated in this study did not believe their children, and they did not blame them for having been raped.
The interplay between the effects of rape on child victims and the caregiver's biological and psychological makeup will inform how the caregiver cares for the child who has been raped. Deterioration of the child's cognitive function at school does not always mean that the child has been raped. They are able to vent their feelings about rape in the absence of the child victims.
Friends/Neighbours 59
I didn't tell them and I didn't want to take our misfortune and spread it to the neighborhood.” C10/M.
Involvement with the systems 60
Police Officials 60
Although all carers contacted the police for assistance, a number of them were disappointed with the service provided by the police. There were carers in this study who went to the police station to report the rape and almost all of them were dissatisfied with the service provided by the police. When we went to the police, they didn't help us, they said it was at night they couldn't help us, we have to come back the next day." C13/A.
According to the Criminal Procedure Act 51 of 1977 (Conradie & Tanfa, 2005), the police are obliged to accept all complaints from the public. The police contacted by the above-mentioned healthcare providers have therefore not fulfilled their task. In this study, healthcare providers were not only dissatisfied with the police response time and the fact that they did not receive help from the police, but also with the fact that they were not informed of the progress of the case.
When the perpetrator was arrested, the police made no effort to inform healthcare providers of the progress of the case. In one case, the healthcare provider suspected that the police had been bribed when he saw the perpetrator released from prison without receiving any explanation from the police. The police only had contact with them (the perpetrator's family) regarding this matter… we also suspected that they had been bribed.” C18/D.
I thought it would have been better not to inform the police and deal with it myself." C4/M. Most of the caregivers in this study reported that they first made a police report, with some of them being accompanied by the police to the doctor for medical examination.
Financial difficulties 69
At the exosystemic level, the interviews showed that the caregiver's financial situation also played an important role in the recovery process of a child rape victim. I couldn't go to the assigned social worker because I didn't have money." Not only were finances a barrier to seeking help from paraprofessionals and the police, but there was one carer in this study who was unable to receive support from her family because she could not afford to call or go to her family to report event.
All the charts of various hospitals are full of my visits (appointments) to all hospitals, King Edward, Albert Luthuli and Mshiyeni. All this makes me realize that I can use the money to buy my children things they don't have." C2/M. The fact that most of these caregivers live in remote areas, where it was difficult for them to walk to the police stations or hospitals for assistance, made things even more difficult for them.
Some of the caregivers in this study believed that the perpetrators were not charged because of traditional umuthi. Whether umuthi was really responsible for the perpetrators not being convicted is a question that remains unanswered. I was very disturbed by the fact that they use muthi because in my mind I thought that umuthi doesn't really exist.” C4/M.
This belief has put more pressure on caregivers and their families, because instead of dealing with rape; they had to find traditional ways to protect themselves from umthi harm.
Summary 71
More than half of the caregivers who participated in this study were afraid that their children might have contracted HIV during the rape incident. There were other caregivers who feared for their lives and the lives of their children because the perpetrator was not incarcerated. A fear of their children becoming mentally disturbed as a result of rape was also reported by most caregivers in this study.
The majority of caregivers in this study had no comments regarding the services provided by justice system personnel. The fact that all caregivers in this study were financially unstable and lived in remote areas (far away from police stations and hospitals/clinics where they could receive help) made it difficult for them to seek help for their children. This study highlights the experiences of caregivers following the disclosure of their children's rape.
What was clear was the caregivers' fears that their children might have contracted HIV during the rape incident. Upon discovery of rape, there were challenges that most caregivers faced in seeking assistance from the police and taking their children for medical examination. When carers had the chance to take their children to the police and for medical examination, most carers were dissatisfied with the service provided by the SAPS, and a few complained about the medical staff.
There were caregivers in this study who were told by the medical staff that their children (rape victims) needed to see the police before they came for medical treatment. Such training could usefully include educating caregivers on how to effectively support their children in the aftermath of rape disclosure.
Summary of Findings, Conclusion,
Process of Discovery/Disclosure 75
The discovery/discovery process was influenced by the perpetrator's threats to the child rape victim and by the child's culture. However, in the present study there were a number of means by which caregivers detected child abuse. Six caregivers noticed signs of physical harm to their children and these included, for example, wounds on the child's private parts.
There were also behavioral changes manifested in children who were victims of rape, examples of which were; child who wets himself, sleeps too much, child isolates himself from others and changes in the way the child walked. In six cases, caregivers learned about their children's rape through other people, such as; the neighbor, the neighbor's son, the child's older sister, the doctor who examined the child, and the police who took the statement from the child.
Caregiver’s reaction on discovery 75
Caregiver’s fears 76
Family Reactions 76
Caring for the victim 76
Coping strategies 76
Although there were also carers who received support from their neighbours, it was clear that in most cases this support was conditional. There were those neighbors who were on the caregiver's side and those on the perpetrator's side.
Involvement with the system 77
Difficulties hindering help-seeking 78
Most caregivers complained about the difficulties they encountered in caring for child victims of rape. Most respondents lived in rural areas of KwaZulu-Natal and spoke isiZulu or Xhosa. Other healthcare providers from other provinces, or who have different nationalities, may provide different insights into healthcare providers' experiences in the aftermath of disclosure. Most healthcare providers were not happy with the service provided by the police; which shows the need for proper training for all police officers, investigators and citizens who often come into contact with caregivers and their children (rape victims).
The training should focus on dealing with child victims of rape and their caregivers. Training programs (i.e. victim empowerment and human rights) already exist in the SAPS that focus on how police officers should deal with victims. Caregivers should also be equipped with parenting skills (e.g., assertiveness) to instill in their children.
This will help their children to be able to speak up for themselves when faced with criminals trying to rape them. The majority of relatives in this study reported that they received assistance from the Treatment Center, and it is therefore imperative. Experiences and perceptions of maternal caregivers of children affected by child sexual abuse outside the family.
Theoretical and therapeutic aspects of non-familial child rape in the South African context: A preliminary exploration. HIV risk exposure among young children: A study of 2-9 year olds served by public health facilities in the Free State, South Africa.
