Browsing by Author "Chitundu, K., Mwape, L., & Kwaleyela, C."
Now showing 1 - 2 of 2
Results Per Page
Sort Options
Item Community Attitudes towards Child Sexual Abuse: A Case of Chawama Lusaka, Zambia(Open Journal of Psychiatry, 2020) Chitundu, K., Mwape, L., & Kwaleyela, C.Background: Child sexual abuse continues to be an issue of great concern and recognized as a public health problem in Zambia. Hence the study examined community attitudes and beliefs that shape communities perceptions towards child sexual abuse, the interaction between adults and children which consequently hinder reporting of child sexual abuse cases. Methods: A qualitative study design was employed. Nine focus group discussions (FGD) with 49 participants comprising 5 to 6 participants in each FGD and nine indepth interviews guided by an interview guide were used to collect data. Participants were selected using purposive sampling. The collected data were transcribed verbatim and analyzed using thematic analysis. Results: Two major themes namely: 1) Defilement, an unacceptable yet concealed phenomenon, and 2) Parental negligence as a major contributor to child sexual abuse, emerged from the data. Participants highlighted that communities regarded child abuse to be necessary for reported only if the abused child was less than 5 years old, a female, and if the trauma the child was subjected to was severe. This was because older girls were seen to be able to have consensual sex, and boys were traditionally viewed as being strong and thus, not report most cases. Parents were also seen to be losing control over their children as most of them were involved in excessive alcohol intake, leading to failure in managing their children. Poverty was another aspect reported to have led parents to send their children into prostitution. As a result parents could not report, as they felt they partly contributed to their children being sexually abused. Conclusion/Recommendations: The study showed that communities do not accept child sexual abuse, but yet they were reluctant to report the cases. It is imperative therefore, that communities learn the importance of reporting sexual abuse cases; as failure to report is risky behavior that can put the abused child and others at risk of other negative vices too.Item Perception of the Community towards Child Sexual Abuse: A Case of Chawama Lusaka, Zambia(Open Journal of Psychiatry, 2018) Chitundu, K., Mwape, L., & Kwaleyela, C.A number of scholars have reported high incidence of sexual abuse cases among children in the communities. However, little is known about the perceptions the community people have towards child sexual abuse cases. Therefore, this study aimed to explore the perception of the community towards child sexual abuse which hinders the disclosure and reporting of abuse cases. Data were collected through focused group discussions and indepth interviews, with sixty nine participants from nine (9) focused group discussions and nine (9) indepth interviews. Participants were the general community members and relatives to abused children. The interviews were recorded verbatim and transcribed; analysis of data was done using qualitative thematic analysis. Three themes emerged summarizing the factors associated with non-reporting of child sexual abuse cases which included, fear of family and community breakdown, relationship between the victim and the perpetrator and inadequate service provision by the police which also reflected the community’s role in supporting the child. In conclusion the study therefore showed that child sexual abuse is common in Zambia and cases are still on the increase. However, there is great need to enforce laws regarding sexual abuse and in addition great change in attitude is needed to prevent occurrence of cases.