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Cultural Protective and Risk Factors: Professional Perspectives About Child Sexual Abuse in Kenya

NCJ Number
228575
Journal
Child Abuse and Neglect Volume: 33 Issue: 8 Dated: August 2009 Pages: 524-532
Author(s)
Carol A. Plummer; Wambui Njuguna
Date Published
August 2009
Length
9 pages
Annotation
This study explored perspectives on cultural risks and protective factors regarding child sexual abuse among professionals in Kenya.
Abstract
Results of the research indicate that risk and protective factors operate at a cultural/community level. In examining the factors that contribute to safety or risk of sexual abuse to their community's children, these professionals rarely mentioned individual child or family level variables. Tribal level factors were deemed as critically important in addressing the source of child sexual abuse protection or possibility. This finding supports earlier work; however, cultural level factors are possibly more important in a collectivist society. The results of the study showed a wide range of disagreement regarding what may contribute to child sexual abuse. Child sexual abuse continues to be an understudied and yet major problem in Kenya. Additional research is required to understand not only incidence, prevalence, and individual level risks, but also the various cultural and community risk and protective factors. This study addressed the need for cultural protective/risk factor assessment by surveying professionals working to address the problem of child sexual abuse in their home districts. Kenyan professionals working to prevent or intervene with child sexual abuse were surveyed to determine their perspectives on how tribal culture impacts vulnerability to sexual abuse. Tables and references

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