Madness and defence: Interventions with sexually abused children in a low-income South African community

Abstract

Aim: North American, British and European research on child sexual abuse is voluminous yet inadequate for grappling with such abuse in South Africa. Beyond these confines, one can begin to understand the experiences of sexually abused children in low-income communities and of those who help them. The research aims: to communicate the immediacy of child sexual abuse; to present findings for a South African conceptualisation thereof in order to intervene effectively in impoverished communities; to consider defences invoked during such work; and to resonate in some way with readers working in situations of poverty and trauma all over the world. Method: Therapy sessions between sexually abused children and a social worker were observed, transcribed and analysed; the social worker was interviewed; and the children’s documented file material was analysed. The study employs an explorative and descriptive ethnographic research method. Data were analysed by means of the case study method and thematic analysis. Findings: Various ironies inherent in working with child sexual abuse surfaced, and factors that contextualise experiences of child sexual abuse in South Africa were identified. Multiple traumas emerged from pervasive, violent impoverishment. Conclusion: The research encourages a recontextualised frame of reference, reports on helpful community interventions, and furthers emergent South African child sexual abuse work.