Abstract
Gender-based violence (GBV) remains a global pandemic that threatens the future of many generations. It does not only affect its direct victims but also indirect victims including children who witness it, who then become child secondary victims. While this is a global issue, South Africa remains among the leading countries facing GBV woes. For children exposed to violence both at home and in their respective communities, more intervention is needed. Social worker interventions are therefore crucial in assisting children who are secondary victims of GBV and domestic violence. The study explores the effects of exposure to GBV on children as perceived by social workers. A qualitative research approach was employed and a case study design was adopted. Eight social workers from four chosen organizations in four townships were interviewed. Invited through snowball sampling, data was collected through one-on-one individual interviews using a semi-structured interview schedule. The data collected was analysed through manual thematic analysis. The findings of this study revealed that there is a need for child secondary victims of GBV to get access to counselling services after witnessing violence at home, as a way of processing and dealing with psychological trauma. They also revealed that, while there is no stipulated intervention is ever used when working with child secondary victims of GBV, the use of more holistic ways of intervention has proven much more effective. Recommendations are made for future research.
Presenters
Muriel DlaminiStudent, MA Social Development, University of the Witwatersrand, Gauteng, South Africa
Details
Presentation Type
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session
Theme
Public Health Policies and Practices
KEYWORDS
Social Workers, Perceptions, Child Secondary Victims, Gender-Based Violence, Johannesburg Townships
