Shrouds of silence: A case study of sexual abuse in schools in the Limpopo Province in South Africa
This study seeks to understand the reasons that allow a parent, a principal and a teacher to maintain silence when young girls under their care are sexually abused. Put another way, it attempts to explain what it is about sexual abuse that makes these parties relinquish their role as protectors of...
| Main Authors: | , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
University of the Free State
2014-09-01
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| Series: | Perspectives in Education |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | http://196.255.246.28/index.php/pie/article/view/1869 |
| _version_ | 1827315058301992960 |
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| author | Boledi Masehela Venith Pillay |
| author_facet | Boledi Masehela Venith Pillay |
| author_sort | Boledi Masehela |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description |
This study seeks to understand the reasons that allow a parent, a principal and a teacher to maintain silence when young girls under their care are sexually abused. Put another way, it attempts to explain what it is about sexual abuse that makes these parties relinquish their role as protectors of innocent children. This paper, based on a larger study of sexual abuse in schools in the Limpopo Province, investigates the possibility that teacher/learner sexual abuse has, over the years, become imbued in a cultural silence linked to African cultural practices. It is argued here that the silence on sexual abuse might be rooted in traditional, patriarchal views on gender and social justice. The research findings indicate that there might well be a growing resistance to what is regarded by some communities as the imposition of liberal, urban, value systems on traditional, rural African people.
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| first_indexed | 2024-04-24T22:47:26Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-feb9af152848475b9564f6fdab95db4f |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 0258-2236 2519-593X |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-04-24T22:47:26Z |
| publishDate | 2014-09-01 |
| publisher | University of the Free State |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Perspectives in Education |
| spelling | doaj.art-feb9af152848475b9564f6fdab95db4f2024-03-18T11:11:21ZengUniversity of the Free StatePerspectives in Education0258-22362519-593X2014-09-0132310.38140/pie.v32i3.1869Shrouds of silence: A case study of sexual abuse in schools in the Limpopo Province in South AfricaBoledi Masehela0Venith Pillay1Rasekgala Secondary SchoolUniversity of Pretoria This study seeks to understand the reasons that allow a parent, a principal and a teacher to maintain silence when young girls under their care are sexually abused. Put another way, it attempts to explain what it is about sexual abuse that makes these parties relinquish their role as protectors of innocent children. This paper, based on a larger study of sexual abuse in schools in the Limpopo Province, investigates the possibility that teacher/learner sexual abuse has, over the years, become imbued in a cultural silence linked to African cultural practices. It is argued here that the silence on sexual abuse might be rooted in traditional, patriarchal views on gender and social justice. The research findings indicate that there might well be a growing resistance to what is regarded by some communities as the imposition of liberal, urban, value systems on traditional, rural African people. http://196.255.246.28/index.php/pie/article/view/1869sexual abuserural schoolscultural silencesocial justicesocial power |
| spellingShingle | Boledi Masehela Venith Pillay Shrouds of silence: A case study of sexual abuse in schools in the Limpopo Province in South Africa Perspectives in Education sexual abuse rural schools cultural silence social justice social power |
| title | Shrouds of silence: A case study of sexual abuse in schools in the Limpopo Province in South Africa |
| title_full | Shrouds of silence: A case study of sexual abuse in schools in the Limpopo Province in South Africa |
| title_fullStr | Shrouds of silence: A case study of sexual abuse in schools in the Limpopo Province in South Africa |
| title_full_unstemmed | Shrouds of silence: A case study of sexual abuse in schools in the Limpopo Province in South Africa |
| title_short | Shrouds of silence: A case study of sexual abuse in schools in the Limpopo Province in South Africa |
| title_sort | shrouds of silence a case study of sexual abuse in schools in the limpopo province in south africa |
| topic | sexual abuse rural schools cultural silence social justice social power |
| url | http://196.255.246.28/index.php/pie/article/view/1869 |
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