'A child is a replacement for an unwilling woman' — Study probes sex offenders
For the study, interviews were conducted with 27 incarcerated sex offenders
“A child is seen as a sexual object and an appropriate replacement for an unwilling adult woman.”That is one of the explanations given by the perpetrators of child sexual abuse (CSA) included in a study by Kgauhelo Lekalakala from the Department of Social Work at the University of Johannesburg.For the study — titled Patriarchal Notions of Manhood as an Explanation for Sexual Abuse of Young Children in South Africa — Lekalakala conducted interviews with 27 incarcerated sex offenders who abused children from aged seven and younger.Lekalakala‚ who made a presentation at the International Conference Preventing Violence in Cape Town on Wednesday‚ said she conducted interviews at eight correctional centres in Limpopo‚ Gauteng and the North West.“The sex offenders ranged from 16 to 86 years old and their victims’ ages ranged from 18 months to approximately seven years‚” Lekalakala said.She said her research was motivated by South Africa’s reputation of “allegedly being the rape capital of ...
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