Trapped in a Maze: Arab Teachers in Israel Facing Child Sexual Abuse Among Their Pupils
Date
2020
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Journal of interpersonal violence
Abstract
Cultural contexts are formative of and fundamental to how individuals
understand, conceptualize, and act within a context of violence. Conceptually
and methodologically, however, research from a culturally informed perspective
on the experiences of teachers contending with the violence of child sexual
abuse (CSA) in particular is broadly limited. As educators frequently confront
cases of CSA in their everyday work, their ability to promote detection,
disclosure intervention, and especially prevention gives them the potential to
be agents of social change; however, while their responsibilities are critical,
they are simultaneously members of their communities and cultures, and their
interactions are bound by these dynamics. The purpose of the study is to
analyze the experiences of Arab teachers in Israel who confront CSA in their
everyday work. The findings are based on qualitative thematic analysis of semistructured interviews conducted with 30 female Arab teachers working within
the Arab school system in Israel. Results indicate that when facing CSA, the
teachers experience an ongoing conflict between their cultural and professional
codes, trapping them in a maze of intertwining and oppositional demands. On
the one hand, they are constrained by the norm of protecting the honor and
maintaining the status and reputation of those involved, including themselves;
on the other hand, as empathetic professionals, they desire to aid their pupils.
While the participants do not accept the status quo, they are effectively at a oss as to how to change it. In order find a way out of their entrapment in
coping with CSA among their pupils, the only currently available path is to act
as a lone hero; there is, however, the potential to foster the development of
a secondary culture within the school to inaugurate cultural change in coping
with CSA. Implications for future research, policy, and practice are discussed.
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Keywords
child sexual abuse, cultural contexts, prevention, treatment, intervention, International Resources, Israel
Citation
Sigad, L. I., & Tener, D. (2020). Trapped in a Maze: Arab Teachers in Israel Facing Child Sexual Abuse Among Their Pupils. Journal of Interpersonal Violence, 0886260520983278.