Media statement

New report finds services for co-victimisation of mothers and children in abusive households are lacking

A new study conducted by the Resources Aimed at the Prevention of Child Abuse and Neglect (RAPCAN) and the South African Medical Research Council (MRC) highlight the needs of children in abusive households. (Service responses to the co-victimisation of mother and child: Missed opportunities in the prevention of domestic violence (pdf format, 403 kb))

“It was found that service providers do not identify the link between experiences of violence by the mother and the child as a co-victim,” according to Dr Shanaaz Mathews from the MRC. The qualitative study was conducted by lead researcher, Fairouz Nagia-Luddy from RAPCAN with technical assistance by the MRC.

The study looked at the transgenerational impact of domestic violence and found that service providers reported that most adult victims of domestic violence were exposed to abuse during childhood. “Yet, services were not routinely taking note of these intersecting experiences of mothers and children,” said Dr Mathews.  

The study has looked at how existing services addressed the co-victimisation of mothers and children in abusive households in rural, peri-urban and urban settings in two provinces within South Africa. It also looked at mapping services and to determining the gaps and challenges for effective service delivery to child victims of domestic violence with the aim of strengthening existing prevention programmes. 

This study thus found that domestic violence is almost exclusively examined through the lens of the adult, usually the female victim. As a result, separate systems of treatment and care has been developed for child and adult victims, with inadequate attention being paid to the psycho-social needs of child victims of domestic violence.

Of importance, it was found that silences around domestic violence, particularly of children as victims were found to be rife. The inability of the system to ensure a child’s safety was one of the main barriers to reporting of child abuse by both mothers and children.

“Young boys who witness mother’s being abused are at increased risk for becoming later perpetrators of domestic violence, while girls who are similarly exposed are more likely to be vulnerable to later victimization,” said Vivienne Mentor-Lalu from RAPCAN.

The study also points to the early identification and intervention programmes to prevent long-term negative outcomes of domestic violence for children and highlights the need to prioritise prevention at the primary, secondary and tertiary level. The study recommends that intervention programmes address social change by working with, high risk individuals and communities as well as prioritising victims and perpetrators of abuse.

Positioning statements

RAPCAN
RAPCAN (Resources Aimed at the Prevention of Child Abuse and Neglect) is a registered section 21 Company, non-profit organisation and public benefit organisation based in Cape Town. RAPCAN’s work is focused on the prevention of child victimisation and offending and the promotion of children’s rights, and we operate locally, at provincial and national levels in South Africa, as well as in the region and internationally. RAPCAN’s work includes primary, secondary and tertiary prevention approaches to the following issues within the children’s rights arena:

• Child sexual abuse
• Corporal and humiliating punishment
• Child offending, especially sexual and violent offending

http://www.rapcan.org.za

MRC
The South African Medical Research Council (MRC) is a science, engineering and technology institution (SETI) and was established in 1969 by an Act of Parliament. Since then we have earned our place as one of Africa’s top science councils.

The MRC’s task is to improve the health and quality of life of all South Africans. We do this by discovering solutions to health problems through excellent scientific research. The MRC’s researchers include people with unique skills and very specific training – all focused on the health priorities of our nation. The MRC provides crucial information at many levels, providing decision-makers in Government with policy recommendations on issues such as alcohol or tobacco misuse, intestinal parasites in children and specific information regarding the rates of crime, violence and injury in South Africa.

http://www.mrc.ac.za