Reporting likelihood and teacher responsiveness to child sexual abuse in the Bojanala district

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REPORTING LIKELIHOOD AND TEACHER

RESPONSIVENESS TO CHILD SEXUAL ABUSE IN THE

BOJANALA DISTRICT

G VAN ZYL

orcid.org/

0000-001-7715-5586

Dissertation submitted for the degree

Master of Social Work

in Forensic

Practice at the North-West University

Supervisor:

Prof WJH ROESTENBURG

Graduation:

August 2020

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PREFACE

This dissertation is submitted in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree Master of Social Work in Forensic Practice. The Social Work Forensic Practice curriculum consists of a total of 188 credits. Of these credits, the research dissertation accounts for 60 of these credits (188 credits).

This dissertation is presented in article format in line with the general academic rules of the North-West University (NWU, 2015). The first section of the dissertation provides a literature review, problem statement, and an outline of the research method. The second section provides the manuscript prepared according to the guidelines of the journal that the manuscript will be submitted to. The third and final section includes the conclusions of the study.

The manuscript will be submitted to SOCIAL WORK/MAATSKAPLIKE WERK for possible publication. This journal publishes articles, book reviews and commentary on articles published from any field of Social Work. The research topic, therefore, accords with the journal’s aim and scope. See Addendum A for the author guidelines of SOCIAL WORK/MAATSKAPLIKE WERK.

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Acknowledgements

My wife, Mariana, thank you for your support.

Prof Wim Roestenburg, my study leader, thank you for your endless support and for believing in me.

Child & Family Welfare Rustenburg, Mrs Deidre Janse van Vuuren, manager, and Dr Grant, chairperson, thank you in supporting this project.

Nicolene Priest, my dear colleague, your assistance is appreciated. Dr Hennie Kotze, thank you for your support.

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Abstract

REPORTING LIKELIHOOD AND TEACHER RESPONSIVENESS TO CHILD SEXUAL ABUSE IN THE BOJANALA DISTRICT

Keywords: Teachers, child sexual abuse, sexual abuse, mandatory reporting

National crime statistics show that child sexual abuse in South Africa, as in other countries, is very high and still on the increase. Instructed by section 54 (1)(2) of the Criminal Law (Sexual Offences and Related Matters) Amendment Act, 2015 (Act No 5 of 2015), which amended the Criminal Law (Sexual Offences and Related Matters) Amendment Act, (Act No 32 of 2007), teachers, among others, are mandated to report cases of child sexual abuse. Therefore, over and above knowledge that teachers need to report, they need to have an attitude of responsiveness regarding the reporting of sexual abuse.

The aim of this project was to establish whether there is a relationship between the knowledge, attitude and training of teachers (teacher responsiveness) and actual reporting rates from the reporting and non-reporting schools (school preparedness) in the Bojanala District, of child sexual abuse.

Schools were selected from within the geographical area of the Bojanala District. The researcher followed a quantitative-descriptive approach in this study. The researcher used a cross-sectional survey and made used of non-probability purposive sampling methods to select the research respondents.

The key finding in this research is that the teachers from both the reporting and the non-reporting schools have adequate knowledge and training related to child sexual abuse and the reporting thereof. The determinant factor in the reporting of child sexual abuse is the attitude that the schools and the teachers adopt.

Three recommendations are prominent: that future studies should focus on programmes and intervention that could be developed to support the change in teachers’ attitudes related to their reporting role in child sexual abuse; that the Department of Education and Sport Development should investigate the need for the employment of qualified school social workers; and that a qualitative study should be undertaken in the schools to establish whether there is an existence of a non-visible culture/attitude in schools that could ensure that the teachers report child sexual abuse to the authorities.

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Opsomming

Sleutelterme: Onderwysers, kindermolestering, seksuele misbruik, verpligte rapportering

Nasionale misdaadstatistiek toon dat die voorkoms van seksuele kindermishandeling, soos in baie ander lande, steeds baie hoog is en steeds aan die styg is. Die rapportering van kinders deur onderwysers asook enige ander persoon wat kennis dra dat ŉ kind na bewering/vermoedelik seksueel mishandel word, word verpligtend gemaak deur artikels 54 (1) (2) van die Wysigingswet op die Strafreg (Seksuele Misdrywe en Verwante Aangeleenthede), 2015 (Wet 5 van 2015) wat die Wysigingswet op die Strafreg (Seksuele Misdrywe en Verwante Aangeleenthede), 2007 (Wet 32 van 2007) gewysig het. Bo en behalwe die kennis waaroor onderwysers moet beskik ten opsigte van die rapportering van seksuele kindermishandeling, is ŉ positiewe gesindheid nodig ten einde die wil te openbaar om te reageer en verwysings van beweerde seksuele kindermishandeling by die bepaalde owerhede aan te meld.

Die doel van die studie was om vas te stel of daar ŉ verhouding is tussen die kennis, houding en opleiding van onderwysers (reaksie van die onderwysers) en die werklike rapporterings statistieke van rapporterende en nie-rapporterende skole (gereedheid van die skole) met verwysing na kindermolestering.

Skole wat deelgeneem het aan die studie is geselekteer vanuit die geografiese area van die Bojanala Distrik. Die navorser het die kwantitatiewe-beskrywende benadering gevolg. Die navorser het ŉ opnameprosedure gedoen en die individuele respondent is genader deur middel van die niewaarskynlikheidsteekproefmetode.

Die studie het bevind dat die onderwysers van sowel die rapporterende as nie-rapporterende skole oor genoegsame kennis en opleiding beskik met verwysing na seksuele kindermishandeling en meer spesifiek tot die rapportering daarvan het. Die navorser het egter tot die gevolgtrekking gekom dat die gesindheid van die skole en die onderwysers die bepalende faktor is as dit kom by die rapportering van seksuele kindermishandeling. Vanuit die studie is daar drie aanbevelings gemaak, naamlik: Verdere studies moet gedoen word met ŉ fokus op die ontwikkeling van programme en intervensies om onderwysers en skole se houding te verander ten opsigte van rapportering; die behoefte moet ondersoek

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word deur die Departement van Onderwys en Sportontwikkeling ten opsigte van die aanstelling van gekwalifiseerde skool-maatskaplike werkers; en die uitvoer van ŉ kwalitatiewe studie om vas te stel of daar ŉ nie-sigbare kultuur in die skole bestaan ten opsigte van die nie-rapportering van seksuele kindermishandeling.

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LIST OF TABLES

Table 1: Reported sexual and other abuse cases by the schools in Bojanala District:

2015 – 2016 21 & 38 Table 2: Confirmatory Factor Analysis 42

Table 3: TRAS factors 45 Table 4: TRAS-CSA 47 Table 5: Pre-Service Education related to Child Sexual Abuse 47

Table 6: How adequately did pre-service education prepare teachers to identify

indicators of child sexual abuse? 48

Table 7: How adequately did pre-service education prepare the teachers to follow

reporting processes for child sexual abuse? 49

Table 8: In-service training related to child sexual abuse and neglect 49

Table 9: In-service training in the past 12 months 50

Table 10: How adequately did in-service training prepare the teachers to follow

reporting processes for child sexual abuse? 50

Table 11: How much confidence do the teachers have in their ability to identify

indicators of child sexual abuse? 51

Table 12: How much knowledge do you have about the indicators of child sexual

abuse? 52

Table 13: Educational authority policy or formal school policy at the time required the teacher to report these cases, would they have reported them? 52 Table 14: How important were the following factors in the teacher’s’ decision(s)

not to report these cases? 53

Table 15: Educational authority or school has a formal policy under which teachers

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Table 16: Teachers are familiar enough with their reporting duty under educational authority policy or formal school policy to answer questions about it 56

Table 17: Case study 1: Reporting of the case 57

Table 21: Case study 5: Cases to report 59

Table 22: Case study 6: Cases to report 60

ANNEXURES

Annexure A: Social Work/Maatskaplike Werk guidelines for publishing 75

Annexure B: The teachers reporting questionnaire (TRQ) 78

Annexure C: HREC approval letter 108

Annexure D: Letter from the editor 109

Annexure E: Department of Education permission letter 110

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SECTION 1: ORIENTATION TO THE STUDY

1.1 Contextualisation

National crime statistics reveal that child sexual abuse in South Africa, as in other countries, is on the increase. In 2011/12, nearly 26 000 children were estimated to have been victims of child sexual abuse, which accounts for 40% of all sexual offences (SAPS Strategic Management, 2012: Annual Report, 2011/2012 p. 13-20). These figures are likely to be underestimated, as only one in nine cases of sexual assault is reported to the police (Jewkes & Abrahams, 2002, as cited in Mathews and Benvenuti, 2014, p. 27). According to the South African Police Service Annual Report: 2013/14, children are the victims of 41% of all rapes reported. Some children in abusive relationships may be molested and/or raped repeatedly over a period of time. According to the same report, 51 children per day are either raped or sexually assaulted, while 29% of all sexual offences against children involve children aged 0 to 10 years old. Approximately one in ten children will be sexually abused before their 18th birthday (Townsend, & Rheingold, 2013), while some of these victims are likely to be in an early childhood development facility or a primary school at the time of the abuse.

Consistent with international practice, any adult person, specifically those working with children on a daily basis, is mandated to report cases of child or sexual abuse (US Department of Health and Human Service, 2007; National Child Protecting Clearinghouse, 2004, p. 1; Feng et al., 2008, p. 405-409; Svenson & Janson, 2008, p. 25-31).

South Africa is no different than the rest of the world. The Children’s Act No 38 of 2005 as Amended, Sec110 (1), states that “Any correctional official, dentist, homeopath, labour inspector, legal practitioner, medical practitioner, midwife, minister of religion, nurse, occupational therapist, police official, physiotherapist, psychologist, religious leader, social service professional, social worker, speech therapist, teacher, traditional health practitioner, traditional leader or member of staff or volunteer at a partial care facility, shelter, drop-in centre, or child and youth care centre who on reasonable grounds concludes that a child has been abused in a manner causing physical injury, sexually abused, or deliberately neglected, if it is in the best interest of the child concerned, must report that conclusion to a designated child protection organisation or to the Provincial Department of Social Development”. The Criminal Law (Sexual Offences and Related Matters) Amendment Act (Act No 5 of 2015), which amended the Criminal Law (Sexual Offences and Related Matters) Amendment

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Act (Act No 32 of 2007) states that within the general provisions of the Act, sections 54 (1) (2), reference is made to the obligation of any person to report knowledge that a sexual offence has been committed against a child. The failure to report such knowledge is treated as an offence that can lead to either imprisonment or a fine. In terms of the reporting of knowledge, suspicion or reasonable belief that a sexual offence has been committed against a mentally disabled person, section 54(2) (c) further determines that if a person reports such suspicions and/or reasonable belief in good faith, that person shall not be liable in terms of any civil or criminal proceedings for making such a report. Therefore, teachers, among others, are mandated to report cases of child sexual abuse. Whether such reporting, in reality, would happen depends on various contextual and other factors.

A teacher, as professional person working with children daily, is responsible for providing a safe and developmentally appropriate learning environment at the school as education centre (Employment Act of Educators as Amended, Act 76 of 1998). This implies, by definition, that teachers are equally mandated to report child sexual abuse. For this purpose, they should have a sound understanding of the symptoms of possible child sexual abuse, as well as appropriate procedures to follow in assisting children who live with abuse, as emphasised by Briggs and Hawkins (1997, p. 7): “No other professionals have such close, continuous, daily contact with child sexual abuse victims on a day to day, long term basis, or have such an extensive knowledge of the children in their care.” A British study by the National Society for Prevention of Cruelty to Children (NSPCC) found that almost a third of disclosures by children or attempts to confide in someone about abuse are to school staff (Lepkowska, 2013, p. 422).

Teachers are often the first to observe symptoms of abuse, identify sexualised behaviour symptoms in the classroom, and subsequently report possible child sexual abuse to the authorities. Teachers should not only be knowledgeable about identifying symptoms but should be skilled in relating with children, since they may be approached by children who see them as someone they can trust to talk about alleged abuse (Lepkowska, 2008:422). Social skills, therefore, play a role in the creation of a supportive, trusting class environment, which, in turn, increases chances of accurate identification of sexual abuse and reporting likelihood (Eccles & Roeser, 2012, p. 225-241). Defined as teacher responsiveness, this variable plays an important role in child disclosure of sexual abuse. Responsiveness begins with the

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establishment of a teacher-learner relationship founded on care, kindness and trust. Therefore, teachers could be an important resource for early intervention in child sexual abuse.

Teachers often do not accurately identify disclosures of sexual abuse, or report, due to a lack of knowledge regarding what is developmentally appropriate behaviour, symptomatology, dynamics of sexual abuse and uncertainty about how to respond to suspicion ( Aucamp, 2015, p.2; Delport, 2012, p. 27-30; Haj-Yahia & Attar-Schwartz, 2008, p. 379; Rodriques 2002; Townsend & Haviland, 2015; Zhang et al, 2015, p. 2) study on teacher knowledge indicates that exposure of teachers to information on mandated reporting, legislation on child sexual abuse, correlated with increased knowledge of these procedures, but did not predict actual reporting on suspicion of child sexual abuse (Greytak 2009, p. 23). Over and above knowledge, teachers need to respond positively and appropriately, which includes a positive attitude relating to the reporting of child sexual abuse.

In addition to teacher knowledge, another factor that is influencing the rate of reporting concerns is the presence of an adherence to a broad framework of procedures for dealing with concerns and disclosures of abuse in the school environment (Delport, 2012, p. 37; Aucamp, 2015, p. 20). Referred to as the school preparedness for reporting combined with teacher responsiveness to deal with child sexual abuse cases in the school system, Greytak (2009, p. 23) found that having a school procedure for reporting abuse predicted increased likelihood of reporting physical and sexual abuse. Regardless of whether principals and school boards comply with mandated reporting laws, a lack of procedure, effective communication about these procedures and uncertainty about the support the reporters of child sexual abuse can expect from the school administration become an important indicator of the school’s preparedness for reporting child sexual abuse (Kenny, 2004; Greytak, 2009).

In a survey among 79 544 teachers, Townsend and Haviland (2015, p. 2-10) found that training in reporting procedures and skills increased the willingness of teachers to report sexual abuse cases. A significant increase in child sexual abuse reporting to the authorities occurred in the year immediately after training, which indicated a positive response among teachers. Greytak’s (2009) concern is about whether acquired knowledge indeed transfers into attitudinal change and increased reporting rates, as his study found an insignificant increase in reporting rates and in some cases a decrease, suggesting an influence by systems (contextual) factors that influenced actual reporting despite increases in personal knowledge. However, Townsend and Haviland (2015, p. 1-5) found in their research that the school’s preparedness for reporting child sexual abuse and their responsiveness in tandem with an

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intervention programme called Texas Educator Initiative, with the children, mitigate the negative effects of child sexual abuse, and may be effective in creating positive outcomes for children. This implies that acquiring new knowledge can lead to attitudinal change and could increase the reporting rates of child sexual abuse by the teachers. If it is in tandem with children’s empowerment intervention programmes, the researcher is of the opinion that it can contribute to the willingness of children to disclose.

Research by Walsh et al. (2012, p. 28) found that teachers who have reported child sexual abuse in the past are more likely to have a better understanding of policy and hold more positive attitudes towards reporting and they will continue reporting. Teachers, who they anticipate will report more in the future, are more likely to hold reasonable grounds for suspecting child sexual abuse, recognising that significant harm has been caused to the child, knowing now that their school policy requires a report, and being able to override their concerns about the consequences of their reporting. The researcher believes that to prevent teachers from reporting child sexual abuse just for the sake of reporting as a result of this research, it will be inevitable to do a debriefing session with them in order to bring balance in their preparedness for reporting child sexual abuse.

Primarily, the teacher’s knowledge level is a central theme underlying the reporting debate. Lack of knowledge has been found consistently in the literature to underpin an inability to accurately identify and take the necessary steps in reporting. A second theme is the extent of support provided by the school system. The preparedness for reporting significantly contributes to both school and teacher responsiveness, or the immediacy with which teachers will respond to situations of child sexual and other abuse. As indicated above, many studies have examined teacher knowledge on its own. Several studies cited in this proposal have looked at school responsiveness as a contextual factor, specifically attempting to identify predictors of knowledge and reporting in the school system.

Studies that focus on the interplay between teacher knowledge and contextual preparedness could render a meaningful contribution to our understanding of the various factors that contribute to reporting of child sexual abuse by teachers. This study attempts to determine whether school preparedness for reporting levels, teacher knowledge and attitude towards reporting in the school environment can be associated with reporting likelihood. Reporting likelihood is defined as the actual reporting of an incident of child sexual abuse by a school during the past two years. For purposes of this study, the actual school reporting rate is proposed as an independent indicator variable of knowledge and preparedness for reporting

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while the researchers want to examine whether this rate has any association with teacher knowledge, attitude and school preparedness for reporting regarding child sexual abuse. Given the above-stated significance of the intended study, the researcher assumes this study

will address several key issues or questions, such as: Is the knowledge and preparedness of schools that have reported, higher than in schools that have not reported? Should this study confirm that knowledge levels, attitudes and exposure to training on sexual abuse are related to reporting rates of such cases as evidenced by local police and welfare statistics for the Bojanala district, it provides significant direction and motivation for increasing development of the education system and interventions to promote teacher responsiveness and school system preparedness for reporting as a resource working towards eradication of sexual abuse of children.

1.2. Problem statement

The intended study was of importance to forensic assessment practice, as early identification and immediate assessment of sexual abuse allegations would strengthen the accuracy and reliability of a forensic assessment. Prolonged waiting tends to increase the chances of contamination, a factor that undermines the clarity of the factual content of the abuse incident. It is therefore in the best interest of the child that sexual abuse is identified as early as possible so that the issue can be addressed in multiple ways and with better chances of preventing further abuse. The teacher is in many cases the first point of report.

Teachers often do not accurately identify disclosures of sexual abuse, or report, due to a lack of knowledge regarding what is developmentally appropriate behaviour, symptomatology, dynamics of sexual abuse and uncertainty about how to respond to suspicion ( Aucamp, 2015, p.2; Delport, 2012, p. 27-30; Haj-Yahia & Attar-Schwartz, 2008, p. 379; Rodriques 2002; Townsend & Haviland, 2015; Zhang et al, 2015, p. 2).

A 2009 study on teacher knowledge indicated that exposure of teachers to information on mandated reporting, legislation or child sexual abuse correlated with increased knowledge of these procedures, but did not predict actual reporting or suspicion of child sexual abuse (Greytak 2009, p. 23). Over and above knowledge, teachers need to respond positively and appropriately, which includes a positive attitude regarding the reporting of child sexual abuse.

In addition to teacher knowledge, a further factor influencing the rate of reporting concerns the presence of and adherence to a broad framework of procedures for dealing with concerns and disclosures of abuse in the school environment (Delport, 2012, p. 37; Aucamp, 2015, p. 20).

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Referred to as the school’s preparedness for reporting combined with teacher responsiveness to deal with child sexual abuse cases in the school system, Greytak (2009, p. 23) found that having a school procedure for reporting abuse predicted an increased likelihood of reporting physical and sexual abuse. Regardless of whether principals and school boards complied with mandated reporting laws, a lack of procedure, effective communication about these procedures and uncertainty about the support reporters of child sexual abuse can expect from the school administration become an important indicator of the school’s preparedness for reporting and responsiveness (Kenny, 2004; Greytak, 2009).

A preliminary investigation of reporting rates at local welfare organisations in the social work practice area of the researcher indicated only seven (7) out of a total of 118 schools within the Bojanala district that had reported child sexual abuse to the authorities between 2015 and 2016. Reporting was done by two (2) secondary schools, three (3) primary schools and two (2) pre-primary schools. The findings prompted the researcher to investigate the reasons for reporting and whether reporting could be correlated to school preparedness and teacher attitude. Correlation refers to a more or less a linear relationship between the random variables. Redeiny, (2020) defines correlation as; “Correlation is a measure of strength of the relationship between two variables. The correlation coefficient quantifies the degree of change of one variable based on the change of the other variable. In statistics, correlation is connected to the concept of dependence, which is the statistical relationship between two variables”. The researcher wants to determine whether the reporting rates of the reporting and non-reporting schools are in relationship regarding the preparedness of that schools and their teacher’s attitude. If so, what the significance of such a relationship is. Relationship in the academic context means the relationship between two variables or sets of variables implies that positive changes in one variable lead to positive changes in the other variable. This reflects a positive relationship. A negative relationship would imply positive changes in one variable are associated to negative changes in the other variable. Correlation does not imply causality as this is reflected by different conceptualization and research design.

Primarily, the teacher’s knowledge level is a central theme underlying the reporting of alleged child sexual abuse. Lack of knowledge has been found consistently in the literature to underpin the inability to accurately identify and take the necessary steps in reporting. A second theme is the extent of support provided by the school system. The preparedness for reporting significantly contributes to both school and teacher responsiveness, or the immediacy with which teachers will respond to situations of child sexual and other abuse. As indicated above, many studies have examined teacher knowledge on its own. Several studies cited in this proposal have looked at

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school responsiveness as a contextual factor, specifically attempting to identify predictors of knowledge and reporting in the school system.

Any study within a local context that focuses on the interplay between teacher knowledge and contextual preparedness could render a meaningful contribution to our understanding of the various factors that contribute to reporting of child sexual abuse by teachers. This study will attempt to determine whether school preparedness for reporting levels, teacher knowledge and attitude towards reporting in the school environment can be associated with reporting likelihood. Reporting likelihood is defined as the actual reporting of an incident of child sexual abuse by a school during the past two years. For purposes of this study, the actual school reporting rate was proposed as an independent indicator variable of knowledge and preparedness for reporting, while the researchers examined whether this rate had any association with teacher knowledge, attitude and school preparedness for reporting regarding child sexual abuse.

Given the above-stated significance of the intended study, the researcher assumed this study to addresses a key issue, such as: Was the knowledge and preparedness of schools that had reported child sexual abuse higher than in schools that did not report? Should this study confirm that knowledge levels, attitudes and exposure to training on sexual abuse are related to reporting rates of such cases, as evidenced by local police and welfare statistics for the Bojanala district, it provides significant direction and motivation for increasing development of the education system and interventions to promote teacher responsiveness and school system preparedness for reporting as a resource working towards the eradication of sexual abuse of children.

The aim of this project was to establish whether there is a relationship between the knowledge, attitude and training of teachers (teacher responsiveness) and actual reporting rates from the reporting and non-reporting schools (school preparedness) in the Bojanala District, of child sexual abuse.

The study, therefore, aimed to answer the following question: Are teacher knowledge of child sexual abuse, attitude towards reporting and exposure to training in identification thereof related to school reporting rates as evidenced by welfare statistics of reported cases?

1.3. Research methodology 1.3.1 Literature study

A literature review was conducted in order to examine previous research on the subject of knowledge and attitude of teachers with regard to child sexual abuse and more specifically the

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mandatory reporting thereof to the authorities. Oliver (2012, p. 5) regards the literature study in research as a way to assist the reader in understanding how a certain study can fit into the context of the broader research context. The literature study was done with this aim in mind.

The study set out to examine whether reporting likelihood, as evidenced by actual reporting statistics, depends upon teacher responsiveness in two sets of schools in the selected geographical area of the Bojanala district, as indicated. The researcher aimed to explore whether teacher knowledge and attitude, as well as school responsiveness, we're dependent on whether the school had reported cases of child sexual abuse or not; and if this relationship exists, what factors in the school setting contribute to reporting likelihood as represented by actual reporting rates. Reporting likelihood was measured using a grouping variable, whether a school did or did not report child sexual abuse during the last two years (2015 and 2016). Teacher responsiveness was measured using the teacher’s reporting questionnaire (TRQ) (Annexure B) and specific questions measuring the knowledge of teachers regarding symptoms.

1.3.2 Research design

The researcher followed a quantitative-descriptive approach in this study. Royse (2011, p. 18) mentions that a quantitative approach is a scientific method that is objective. According to Rubin and Babbie (2013, p. 51), a quantitative-descriptive study can assess the needs in a community by conducting a cross-sectional survey of a representative sample of residents in the community. With reference to this study, school teachers were the respondents and the schools selected were in the Bojanala District. This district was selected because the researcher has worked in this community before and has obtained welfare statistics of reporting rates for this district. A survey design enabled the researcher to analyse and compare multiple variables simultaneously (Rubin & Babbie, 2013, p. 147). The outcome of this study could enable the researcher to draw a comparison between the reporting schools and non-reporting schools. The outcome of the comparison determined whether there was a correlation between a teacher’s knowledge, attitude and training, the school’s level of preparedness for reporting and actual reporting rates of reporting and non-reporting schools. This outcome could be useful for developing a scientifically based strategy for intervention. The researcher used a cross-sectional design for data gathering. According to Rubin and Babbie (2013, p. 54), a cross-sectional study is based on observations that represent a single point in time. In terms of this study, the current observations of the teachers represented a single point in time, although reporting figures for 2015 to 2016 were measured against current knowledge and readiness levels. The aim of this study was to establish whether a relationship

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existed between the knowledge, attitude and training of teachers, school readiness and actual reporting rates schools in a certain district.

1.3.3 Participants to the study and procedures followed

This study used schools in the demarcated geographical area of the Bojanala District. The target group was teachers, section heads and principals of schools. The population of schools in this district consists of 80 primary and secondary schools in the Bojanala District. In addition, there were thirty-eight (38) pre-schools and day-care facilities in the district. These schools made up the population for this study, totalling 118 schools. The sample was drawn from this population. Since the proposed design for this study was a cross-sectional survey, the researcher needed a large enough sample to justify the use of this design (Rubin & Babbie, 2013, p. 51). For survey purposes, the sampling method was based on non-probability principles because it has to precise, yet relatively unbiased and scientific (Rubin & Babbie, 2016, p. 204). Although important in this study, the researcher used of non-probability purposive sampling methods to select the schools from the population of 118 schools, that could participate. Singleton et al. (1988) in Strydom (2005, p. 202) describe it as follows: “This type of sample is based entirely on the judgement of the researcher, in that, a sample is composed of elements that contain the most characteristic, representative or typical attribute of the population.” De Vos et al. (2005, p. 193) define a universe as “referring to all potential subjects who possess the attributes in which the researcher is interested.” In this study, the population was all schools in the Bojanala district that matched the inclusion criteria.

The inclusion criteria were: For schools (Stage 1 sample)

● Seven schools in the Rustenburg district that have reported child sexual abuse during the 2015-2016 period;

● Seven schools in the Rustenburg district that have not reported child sexual abuse during the 2015-2016 period. These will be selected conveniently from a school list;

● Schools that agree to participate in the study.

Teachers (Stage 2 sample)

● Persons working at schools who could be classified as somebody who engages with children in a ‘teacher’ capacity;

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● Teacher’s assistants, who were not qualified, but working with children. These were included because this group could be an extremely valuable resource for early intervention in child sexual abuse;

● The respondents had to be able to read and understand English. ● Teachers that agree to participate in the study.

Although the sample selection was made at school level, and the analysis could be conducted according to schools as a grouping variable, the participants for this study were individual teachers. Since the essence of the methodology selection in this study was to enable comparison between two groups, a grouping variable was used (reporting versus non-reporting schools). Therefore, to promote reasonable probability, a three-stage sampling strategy was followed. Stage 1 was purposive and require the identification of schools in the district that have reported cases of sexual abuse during the period 2015 to 2016. For this selection purposes, client intake registers of Child Welfare, Rustenburg and Department of Social Development, Bojanala District Office were used to determine the Stage 1 sample composition. The researcher did not use the DSD statistics for sampling purposes, since these were non-specific in respect of schools. Table 1 included “other abuse” cases to illustrate that reporting patterns were similar to those reporting sexual abuse, strengthening the argument that some schools seemed to report more consistently than others. The selection was based on the reported sexual abuse cases in Table 1, details of reporting schools that either reported in 2015 or 2016 are provided. Seven (7) reporting schools were selected purposively for inclusion. The names of these schools were removed from the population total to ensure confidentially, while the remaining schools on the population list (Not shown in Table 1) were used for Stage 2 sampling. The seven reporting schools were approached with advertising, recruitment and goodwill procedures, as those could determine the sample size for Group 1 = reporting schools. In accordance with that strategy, an equal number of seven (or less, depending on stage 1 sampling outcome) schools that have not reported sexual abuse during the past two years were conveniently selected, using proximity to Rustenburg as the main criterion, stratified according to more or less equal proportions of secondary, primary and pre-primary schools, totalling two (2) secondary, three (3) primary and two (2) pre-primary, creating an equal-sized group of non-reporting schools, Group 2 = non-reporting, and thereby enabling comparative analysis.

During Stage 3 of sampling, the researcher commenced with participant recruitment procedures at the total sample of 14 identified schools, starting with advertisements and information sessions to personnel at sampled schools. The researcher planned to recruit from 689 individual

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participants, calculated as the total number of teachers at the selected fourteen schools. For this study this number was used as the final population to be accessed. The sample was all-inclusive, targeting all teachers in the fourteen schools. Information sessions served the purpose of clarifying the aim of the research, answering questions prospective participants might have and handing out and explaining the informed consent forms to them. These processes were preceded by the obtaining of permission from the North West Provincial Department of Education and Sport Development (Annexure E).

Table 1 Reported sexual and other abuse cases by the school in Bojanala District: 2015-2016

Organisation Total children referred Sexual abuse case referred Other abuse cases referred1

School code and classification - 6 Reporting school2_#1 (secondary) 3 23 Reporting school #2 (secondary) 2 41 Reporting school #3 (primary) 2 29 Reporting school #4 (primary) - 28 Reporting school #5 (primary) 1 Reporting school #6 (pre-primary) 1 Reporting school #7 (pre-primary) Child welfare 2016 totals 134 9 127 5 Schools3

1_{Please note that other abuse cases have only been included to demonstrate and confirm that reporting}

schools indeed are likely to report abuse in general.

2_{School names have been removed to protect their identity. A code list of names is stored on the study}

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Child sexual and other abuse cases reported for 2015 Organisation Total children referred Sexual abuse cases referred Other cases referred

School code and classification 1 38 Reporting school #2 (secondary) 1 21 Reporting school #3 (primary) 1 15 Reporting school #5 (primary) 5 12 Reporting school #1 (secondary) 2 25 Reporting school #4 (primary) Child welfare 2015 totals 121 10 111 5 schools4

Note that the sample of seven reporting schools are chosen purposively from reporting schools that have reported either in 2015 or 2016 as indicated above.

The nature and focus of the study suggested the use of schools as units of analysis, specifically those in a known, demarcated geographical area of the Bojanala District. The target group was teachers, section heads and principals of schools. The population of schools in this district consisted of 80 primary and secondary schools in the Bojanala District and day-care facilities in the district. These schools made up the population for this study, totalling 118 schools. The sample was drawn from this population as outline above.

1.3.4. Measuring instruments

For the purpose of this study, a self-administered questionnaire called teachers reporting questionnaire (TRQ) (Annexure B) were to be used by the researcher in the survey. Completion of this questionnaire should take 25 minutes and 689 questionnaires were sent out for completion. The TRQ (Annexure B) was chosen for this study based on previous research on professional report practice (Choo, Walsh, Chinna & Peng Tey, 2013; Walsh, Rassafiani, Mathews, Farrell & Butler, 2010; 2012). The TRQ (Annexure B) was developed as a self-report questionnaire survey instrument with eight sections collecting information about teachers’: (i) demographics (5 items): (ii) workplace role (4 items): (iv) CSA reporting history (5 items): (v) attitudes to reporting CSA (21 items): (vi) knowledge of CSA reporting duty under school policy (9 items): (vii) knowledge of CSA reporting duty under legislation (12 items): and (viii) responses to six CSA scenarios (7

4_{Reporting schools in this instance were not named and could coincide with those mentioned in the rest}

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items each). The original TRQ underwent preliminary testing during a five-stage validation process, utilising logistic regression analysis (Walsh, Rassafiani, Mathews, Farrel & Butler, 2010). The scale has sufficient validity and reliability, as obtained by the above validation study, and the instrument exists in the public domain, and therefore no additional permission from the author for use was required. Because it is well validated, the full item scale was used in the study because the Cronbach alpha coefficient was greater than 0.70. The scale did not contain psychological dimensions that required psychometric interpretation, and interpretation was enabled by averaging scale scores.

1.3.5. Data analysis

According to Kruger et al. (2005, p. 218), quoting Kerlinger (1973) data analysis is …” the categorization, ordering, manipulating and summarising of data to obtain answers to research questions. The purpose of the analysis is to reduce data to an intelligible and interpretable form so the relations of the research problems can be studied tested and conclusions are drawn”.

Since this study utilised a cross-sectional survey design and the researcher planned to involve 689 participants, online data collection seemed most relevant for the purposes of the survey. The researcher used an all-inclusive sample which means that all the teachers and teachers’ assistants from the 14 schools were included in the research population. The quantitative, survey-specific nature of the data enabled the researcher to categorise data into two groups, schools that had reported, and schools that have not reported, child sexual abuse during the specified period. This provided a basis for grouping data and comparing demographic, training-related and TRQ scores for both groups. The researcher was not interested in interpreting the number of reporting incidents, as indicated in the sampling table, as this was not the objective of the study. The researcher only intended comparing the two groups to form an understanding of how the teacher and school’s preparedness contributed to reporting likelihood. The researcher did not consider interpreting the role of external environmental circumstances in the reporting rates. This kind of analysis mandated the examination of variation in mean scores on the DV by comparing group scores. Since the sample might be larger than 200, Cohen’s d was used to investigate the practical significance of the findings. The researcher conducted an estimation of sample normality prior to the analysis. In the event of small samples, the appropriate non-parametric equivalent tests were used. The researcher could examine scale properties, specifically scale construct validity by means of CFA, and scale reliability by means of Cronbach’s alpha. Data were analysed by means of IBM SSPS 24 (SSPS Inc., 2007). The data was analysed by Dr Erika Fourie from the Statistical Consultation Services at the NWU.

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1.3.6. Research ethics

According to Botma et al. (2010, p. 20), participants who take part in a research project do have the right to be protected against any harm and discomfort. However, this study had an estimated low ethical risk, as outlined below.

To minimise any chances of harm, it was decided to conduct the survey online, using Google Forms, as this could minimise any undue exposure of participants and promote privacy and confidentiality. The qualitative-descriptive approach was less personalised than what is normally achieved. By

means of a cross-sectional survey, the researchers planned to be sensitive with regard to the potential discomfort that might arise with respondents, if they were victims of sexual abuse themselves. It was considered that the research might trigger past experiences, especially if a teacher was a victim of child sexual abuse/sexual abuse herself or has prior experience of such cases in the school environment. Teachers might feel labelled by participating in this research project, or sense incompetence that could further inhibit future responsiveness. However, the likelihood of such inhibition was regarded as small.

Should a school in any category decline participation as indicated by the principal of that school during goodwill permission process, a further school was drawn randomly and approached until the required number of schools was achieved. The principals of targeted schools acted as gatekeepers and after having given goodwill permission from the North West Provincial Department of Education and Sport Development (Annexure E), assisted the researchers with entering the sampled schools.

1.3.6.1. Confidentiality and anonymity

Although the study was intended to be comparative and generated status-level information, no school included in the study was identified by name to preserve anonymity and privacy. The researcher did not intend to disclose their reasons for approaching certain schools during recruitment and sampling to prevent any possible instances of impression management that might occur should schools know the group to which they belong. The project was introduced as a survey on teacher knowledge and responsiveness and school preparedness.

The intended sample did not include any vulnerable population groups, and the participants, who were teachers, were not required to disclose any personal, sensitive or work-specific information that might jeopardised their relative position in the school in any way. Their participation was anonymous and confidential. Anonymity was ensured by separating the e-mail name list from the completed Google Forms data. Data was received electronically by the researcher and was not

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handled by any other person during processing as it was returned to the researcher via e-mail. The study leader kept the original name list separate from the rest of the data.

1.3.6.2. Risks and benefits

Participating schools were benefiting indirectly from participating in the project by gaining knowledge and feedback regarding their preparedness status with regard to reporting cases of child sexual abuse. This feedback could assist schools in further developing their own reporting capability. Teachers did not benefit directly as feedback was not intended to be at the individual level, but rather at the school level. If schools provided further feedback to teachers, this may have, motivated teachers to know how their school compared relative to other schools in the region.

Benefits

There were not any direct benefits to teachers participating in the survey. Since the survey was conducted by e-mail, participants were also not compensated for their time or effort to participate. The indirect benefits of the study were that the school community of the target area would benefit from the knowledge generated regarding school preparedness. The scientific community could benefit as this provides information regarding those factors that influence awareness and reporting of child sexual abuse in schools.

Risks

It was possible that teacher participants might be sensitised by the information that was provided in the survey. Specifically, information pertaining to examples of possible child behaviours in schools as portrayed in the questionnaire. These might contribute to increased reporting rates and possible victimisation of children or their families involved with the school. This could be regarded as an increased chance of ‘false positive’ identification. Although these risks might be small, as indicated in the evidence provided above, the risks of such occurrence should be minimised. The researchers, therefore, distributed a ‘balanced reporting’ e-mail to participating schools. That was sent to all participants via e-mail and explained the importance of balanced reporting and countered the potential risk of increased false reporting.

Permission was sourced from the North West Provincial Department of Education and Sport Development (Annexure E) by completing the relevant forms and submitting the proposal to them

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for approval. After having obtained permission from the North West Provincial Department of Education and Sport Development (Annexure E) the researcher approached school principals as gatekeepers by means of information session appointments with every school selected for sampling. The objective of the session was to explain the project to teachers of these schools and obtain goodwill permission from the different schools. School-level participation in the research was non-coercive and voluntary, by an independent person, not related to the researcher or the schools. It could be followed-up with each school principal one week after the information session appointment to gain the principal, and by implication, the school’s collaboration with and commitment to the project.

Hereafter, an advertisement was placed at each participating school to inform and recruit teachers as participants in the project. The researcher arranged with the principal (gatekeeper) to send out the e-mails on his behalf to each teacher in the participating school to be used in the planned Google Forms data collection effort. For participants who do not have an e-mail address, the link to the online survey was sent via SMS or WhatsApp. Informed consent procedures suitable for electronic surveys were included in the Google Forms questionnaire setup to ensure teacher participation is voluntary. This entailed sending a link to the online questionnaire to each teacher’s e-mail address. Clicking the link opened the ICF and a further click on a submit button took them to the questions. Should teacher participants wish to participate, but did not have an e-mail address, the procedure for manual completion followed. A computer with internet connectivity was made available to each school during a specified data collection time in a private, well-ventilated office space with a desk and chair, at each participating school. Participants were able to come to this venue during a time that suits them, to open the link to the questionnaire on the computer and follow the ICF and questionnaire completion procedure. Manual procedures were completed individually and the mediator was at the venue to assist where help was needed. The questionnaire was made available electronically. The informed consent form was added to Google Forms and each participant who responded to the survey clicked a button that took them to the survey instrument. This was regarded as consent by participants.

This study did not involve the execution of any procedures or techniques to which participants could have been exposed to during the research. The study was in the form of a web-based cross-sectional survey that had to be completed by teachers as respondents in the privacy of their own contexts as outlined above. There were limited risks involved in the completion of an online survey. The risk level of the study is estimated as low. However, it was possible that the study could impose a medium indirect risk to the children in the schools involved in this research that

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was reported. Forensic investigation due to the reporting thereof was not only traumatising for the children, but also for the families and caregivers of those children.

1.3.6.3. Publication of findings

Participants would be updated on the progress of the research as it progresses via electronic media. At conclusion and final approval of the research report, the researcher will send out a summary of the results and inform respondents of the date and place where results will be published via electronic media. Furthermore, a summary of the results will be provided to the North West Provincial Department of Education and Sport Development.

1.3.6.4. Storage and archiving of data

The electronic survey made it impossible to recognise participants as their e-mail addresses were separated from their actual questionnaires. All data were downloaded from the Google Forms platform and stored on the project leader’s password-protected PC. At completion of the project, data will be transferred to COMPRES for storage for a period of five years before it will be destroyed.

1.3.6.5. Approval

The researcher obtained approval from the North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus’ Health Research Ethics Committee (Approval Number NWU-00109-18-S1) to conduct the research at 14 schools within the Bojanala District, North West and the North West Provincial Department of Education and Sport Development. The results will be produced in de-contextualised format by means of a general, simplified report that provides the results in general. The generalised report will be made available to the gatekeepers at all participating schools, as well as the teachers individually. This simplified report would provide comparisons, but without mentioning school names. Each school may request a more school-specific report, in which case a personalized report will be drafted showing the school’s scores relative to the mean scores for other schools in the group. This will enable the school to compare itself to the mean performance of other schools. To discourage competition and direct comparison, no names of schools would be provided in any reports.

1.3.6.6. Structure of the report

The research was done in the form of an article. The format of the report had the following headings:

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 Problem statement

 Research methodology

 Respondents

 Data analyses

 Results and discussions

 Conclusion

The article will then be presented to an accredited journal, Social Work/Maatskaplike Werk, for publication. The manuscript will be written in English. The researcher will write the article in MS Windows (Word or Word Perfect). The research report will be typed double space on the one side of an A4 paper. The Harvard system for referencing will be used. The details of the resources used in the article will appear under heading “List of References” and will be done in alphabetic order.

LIST OF REFERENCES

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AUCAMP, L. (2015). Understanding the scope of child sexual abuse. Fact Training. Pretoria. Unpublished.

BOTMA, Y., GREEF, M., MULAUDSI, F. M. & WRIGHT, S. C. D. (2010). Research in health sciences. Cape Town: Heinemann Pearson Education South Africa.

BRIGGS, F. & HAWKINS, R. (1997). Child protection: a guide for teachers and childcare professionals. St Leonards, NSW, Allen &Unwin.

BROOKS, H. & HIGSON-SMITH, C. (2004). Response to gender-based violence in schools. In L.D. Richter, A. Dawes, & C. Higson-Smith (Eds.),Sexual abuse of young children in Southern Africa. (pp. 110-129). Cape Town: HSRC Press.

BROWSE SCHOOL IN RUSTENBURG AT SCHOOL 4 SA. (2016).

http://www.schools4sa.co.za/province/north-west/rustenburg. Date of access: 10 Sep. 2016. CHIEN, M. (2008). Role of the Taiwanese preschool teachers in the prevention of child sexual abuse. Asia Pacific Journal of Social Work and Development, 18, 53-62.

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CHILD WELFARE. (2015). School intake register. Rustenburg.

DELPORT, J. (2010). Die rol van die onderwyser ten opsigte die aanmelding van seksuele misbruik. Potchefstroom: NWU. (Dissertation – MA).

DEPARTMENT OF SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT. (2015). Intake register for the Bojanala District. Rustenburg.

DE VOS, A. S., STRYDOM, H., FOUCHE, C. B., & DELPORT, C. S. L. (2005). Research as grassroots. For the social sciences and human services. Pretoria: Van Schaik Publishers. ECCLES, J. S. & ROESER, R. W. (2011). Schools as a developmental context during adolescence. Journal of research on adolescence, 21, 225-241.

FENG, J., CHEN, S., WILK, N. C., YANG, W., & FETZER, S. (2009). Kindergarten teacher’s experience of reporting child sexual abuse in Taiwan: dancing on the edge. Children and youth services review, 34, 405-409.

GREYTAK, E.A. (2009). Are teachers prepared? Prediction of teacher’s readiness to serve as mandated reporters of child sexual abuse. The University of Pennsylvania. (Dissertation – PhD) HAJ-YAHIA, M. M. & ALTAR-SCHARTZ, S. (2008). Attitudes of pre-school teachers from Israel towards reporting of suspected cases of child sexual abuse and neglect. Child & family social work, 13, 378-390.

INTRODUCTION TO CHILD PROTECTION. (2008). Handbook for teachers. Save the children campaign. Southern Sudan: Juba.

KENNY, M.C. (2004). Teacher’s attitudes toward and knowledge maltreatment. Child sexual abuse & neglect, 28:1311-1319.

KRUGER, P. J., DE VOS, A. S., FOUCHE, C. B., & VENTER, L. (2005). Quantitative data analysis and interpretation. In A. S. De Vos (Ed). Research at grassroots: for the social sciences and human service professions (pp . 217-244) (3rd ed). Pretoria: Van Schaik Publishers.)

LEPKOWSKA, D. (2013). A victim of abuse ask for help-how would the teachers you work with react? British journal of school nursing, 8, 422.

PRE SCHOOLS FOR KIDS IN RUSTENBURG. http://www.active

activities.co.za/directory/category/early learning and care/childcare/pre-schools/location/north-west province/Bojanala. Date of access: 10 Sep. 2016.

REDEINY, R. (2020). What is the difference between the words “relationship” and “association? Retrieved from: https://www.researchgate.net/post/What_is_the_difference_between_the words_

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relationship_and_association/5e8fb55f8210506e66327a78/citation/download. Date of access: 24th May. 2020.

RODRIGUES, C. M. (2002). Professional attitudes and accuracy on child sexual abuse reporting decisions in New Zeeland. Journal of interpersonal violence, 17, 320-342.

RUBIN, A. & BABBIE, E.R. (2005). Research methods for social work. London: Thomson Brooks/Cole.

RUBIN, A. & BABBIE, E. R. (2013). Essential research methods for social work. Belmont, California: Wadsworth; Endover: Cengage Learning [distributor], 2013. 3rd International ed. ROYSE, D. (2011). Research methods in social work. Belmont: Brooks.

SINGLETON, R., STRAITS, B. C., STRAITS, M. M. & MCALLISTER, R. J. (1988). Approaches to social research. New York: Oxford University Press.

STRYDOM, H. (2005). Ethical aspects in social sciences and human service professions. (In A. S. De VOS, H. STRYDOM, C. B. FOUCHE & C. S. L. DELPORT (Eds.). Research at

grassroots for the social sciences professions. (p.202). Pretoria: Van Schaik Publishers. SOUTH AFRICA POLICE SERVICE. (2012). Annual report for 2011/12. Pretoria. SOUTH AFRICA POLICE SERVICE. (2014). Annual report for 2013/14. Pretoria.

SOUTH AFRICA. (2006). Employment of Educators Act as Amended. Act 16 of 2006. Pretoria. SOUTH AFRICA. (2005). Children’s Act as Amended. Act 38 of 2005. Pretoria.

SOUTH AFRICA. (2007). Criminal Law. Sexual Offences and Related Matters Amendment Act, 32 of 2007. Pretoria

TOWNSEND, C. & HAVILAND, M. (2016). The impact of child sexual abuse training for educators on reporting and victim outcomes: The Texas Initiative, Charleston, S.C., Darkness to Light. Retrieved from http://www.d21.org/site/c.4dlCIJOkGcISE/b.9358399/k.5FEC/Efficacy of Stewards.htm. Date of access: 20 Apr. 2017.

TOWNSEND, C. & RHEINGOLD, A. A. (2013). Estimating a child sexual abuse prevalence rate for practitioners: A review of child sexual abuse prevalence studies. Charleston, S.C., Darkness to Light. Retrieved from www.D2L.org/1 in 10. Date of access: 20 Apr. 2017. Van Niekerk, A. (2012). Kennis en houding van kleuterskool personeel rakende die seksuele misbruik van kleuters en die aanmelding daarvan. Potchefstroom: NWU. (Verhandeling – MA)

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SECTION 2: THE MANUSCRIPT

REPORTING LIKELIHOOD AND TEACHER RESPONSIVENESS TO CHILD SEXUAL ABUSE IN THE BOJANALA DISTRICT

Gys van Zyl

Postgraduate student, Compress, School of Psycho-Social Health, North-West University E-mail: gvzyl63@gmail.com

Prof WJH Roestenburg

Compress, School of Psycho-Social Health, North-West University E-mail: Wim.Roestenburg@nwu.ac.za

Keywords: teachers; child sexual abuse; sexual abuse; mandatory reporting

According to the Criminal Law Amendment Act, (Act 32 of 2007), teachers, among others, are mandated to report cases of child sexual abuse.

The aim of this research was to establish whether actual reporting rates by teachers of child sexual abuse in reporting schools can be associated with teacher responsiveness as represented by exposure to relevant training, knowledge levels and attitude levels of teachers in a sample of non-reporting schools.

The key finding was that the teachers from both the reporting and non-reporting schools had adequate knowledge and training. However, the determinant factor was the attitude that the teachers and schools adopted towards the reporting of child sexual abuse.

2.1 INTRODUCTION

National crime statistics reveal that child sexual abuse in South Africa, as in other countries, is very high and still on the increase (SAPS Strategic Management, 2012: Annual Report, 2011/2012, p. 13-20). Research has indicated that approximately one in ten children will be sexually abused before their 18th_{birthday, while most of these victims are likely to be in an early childhood}

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Society for Prevention of Cruelty to Children found that almost a third of disclosures by children or attempts to confide in someone about sexual abuse are to school staff (Lepkowska, 2013, p. 422).

The Children’s Act No 38 of 2005 as Amended, Sec110 (1), stated that “Any correctional official, dentist, homeopath, labour inspector, legal practitioner, medical practitioner, midwife, minister of religion, nurse, occupational therapist, police official, physiotherapist, psychologist, religious leader, social service professional, social worker, speech therapist, teacher, traditional health practitioner, traditional leader or member of staff or volunteer at a partial care facility, shelter, drop-in centre, or child and youth care centre who on reasonable grounds concludes that a child has been abused in a manner causing physical injury, sexually abused, or deliberately neglected, if it is in the best interest of the child concerned, must report that conclusion to a designated child protection organisation or to the Provincial Department of Social Development.”

The Criminal Law (Sexual Offences and Related Matters) Amendment Act (Act No 5 of 2015), which amended the Criminal Law (Sexual Offences and Related Matters) Amendment Act (Act No 32 of 2007), stated that within the general provisions of the Act, sections 54 (1) (2), reference is made to the obligation of any person to report knowledge that a sexual offence has been committed against a child. The failure to report such knowledge is treated as an offence that can lead to either imprisonment or a fine. In terms of the reporting of knowledge, suspicion or reasonable belief that a sexual offence has been committed against a mentally disabled person, section 54(2) (c) further determines that if a person reports such suspicions and/or reasonable belief in good faith, that person shall not be liable in terms of any civil or criminal proceedings for making such a report. Therefore, teachers, among others, are mandated to report cases of child sexual abuse. Therefore, over and above knowledge, teachers need to report, they need to respond positively and appropriately, which includes a positive attitude regarding the reporting of child sexual abuse.

Based on the above, the questions that arose with the author is, what factors contribute to whether schools report or do not report child sexual abuse? Is teacher knowledge of child sexual abuse, attitude towards reporting and exposure to training in identification thereof related to school reporting rates as evidenced by welfare statistics of reported cases?

Therefore, the aim of this research project was to establish whether actual reporting rates by school teachers of child sexual abuse in reporting schools can be associated with teacher responsiveness

Reporting likelihood and teacher responsiveness to child sexual abuse in the Bojanala district