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The impact of child sexual abuse (CSA) on the school life experiences and academic performance of adult CSA survivors by Antoinette Danielle Ah Hing Submitted in fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of DOCTOR EDUCATIONIS in the Faculty of Education at the Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University January 2010 Promoter: Prof. M.A.J. Olivier This research study is dedicated to my husband, Valiant Ah Hing and to our two children, Kirsten and James. Thank you for your unconditional love, constant support and unfailing faith in me. What we think or what we know or what we believe is, in the end, of little consequence. The only consequence is what we do. John Ruskin 2 DECLARATION I, Antoinette Danielle Ah Hing, declare that the thesis entitled: The Impact of Child Sexual Abuse on the Academic Performance of Learners, is my own work, and has not been submitted for a degree at another university before. All the sources that have been used or quoted have been indicated and acknowledged by means of complete references. Language editing of the entire document has been done by Dr P. Goldstone. A.D. Ah Hing January 2010 3 Language Quality Assurance Practitioners Mrs KA Goldstone Dr PJS Goldstone 14 Erasmus Drive Summerstrand Port Elizabeth 6001 South Africa Tel/ Fax: +27 41 583 2882 Cell: +27 73 006 6559 Email: [email protected] [email protected] 13 December 2009 TO WHOM IT MAY CONCERN We hereby certify that we have language edited the treatise prepared by Antoinette Danielle Ah Hing, entitled The impact of child sexual abuse on the academic performance of learners, and that we are satisfied that, provided the changes we have made are effected to the text, the language is of an acceptable standard, fit for publication. Kate Goldstone Patrick Goldstone BA (Rhodes) BSc (Stell) SATI No: 1000168 DEd (UPE) UPE Language Practitioner (1975-2004) NMMU Language Practitioner (2005) 4 All rights are reserved. No part of this thesis may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without the written permission of the researcher. 5 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS Father God, once again You have provided an opportunity; and given me the courage of my convictions and the determination to complete this work. Your guidance and love have helped to ensure that the world can be a little more aware of the injustices committed against Your little ones. Thank you for your countless blessings upon us. To Prof. Tilla Olivier, I owe so much. For so many years you have supported me unconditionally. Your faith in me and my research studies gave me the strength to continue and make a difference. Without you, I doubt that this project would have reached the final stages. Thanks, Prof. My husband Valiant, my beautiful daughter Kirsty and my baby-faced James: words cannot express my gratitude for your support, love and encouragement over the years. Thank you for giving me the space that I needed to complete this study, even though I had to sacrifice so much family time. You are all very special to me. My darling Mom, I wish you could understand how much credit goes to you, as the person who sacrificed so much for me over the past 45 years. Your love, support and encouragement have meant so much to me. You may not know me anymore, but I know you and I love you. Dearest Dad, I did it! I only wish you were here to celebrate it with me. Although I couldn’t talk to you and rely on your input for this research, I always knew you were never far away. Thanks for providing everything I ever needed to get me this far: love, support, education, encouragement and motivation. I know how much you and Mom sacrificed to give me the best you could afford. Thank you. Margie Spicer, my rescuer! Thank you for always being there when I needed help. Your professional and personal support provided so much encouragement for me and contributed so much to my personal healing. Thank you. I am forever indebted to you. Thanks to Sue Rist for the many hours that you sacrificed to help with the fieldwork and additional research. Your support, encouragement and sense of humour have helped me through many difficult times. My friend, Heather Moulton; this was not an easy road for either of us to travel, but we managed to get through it. Thanks for all your time, assistance and support in conducting the fieldwork. Thank you to Denise Brink, for tirelessly spending hours on formatting and re- formatting this document to make the final product as perfect as possible. Many thanks to Marlene Scharf and Marina Ward of the NMMU library for using their expertise and knowledge to support the progress of this research study. To Carol Poisat in the Education Faculty, thank you for all your encouragement and for your willingness to help. 6 The quality of this document has reached an entirely different level as a result of the many hours of hard work put in by Dr Patrick Goldstone in doing all the language editing. Many thanks. My appreciation goes to Danie Venter of the Statistical Department at the NMMU for his willingness to help with the quantitative data. To Andri Nel, my fellow student, so far away. Thank you for keeping me going when times became tough. Knowing that your candle was also burning in the late night hours, made the road easier for me to travel. So much encouragement, support and motivation came from my dear friend, Pat Scott. Thank you. I will be there for you as you walk the same path. Mrs Valme Bubb, deputy director of Childline Port Elizabeth. Thank you to you and your team of social workers for being so willing to assist with the on-line interview. Many thanks to Inspector Deon Mels of the SAPS (Mount Road) for his support and valuable advice. Survivors To everyone who volunteered to take part in this study, Thank you seems so inadequate to describe my gratitude to each of you for trusting me enough to share your life history with me. Your hurts. Your joys. Your pain and sorrows. Your strength to continue and your advice to young victims today. You are true survivors! "If the occurrence of rape were audible, its decibel level equal to its frequency, it would overpower our days and nights, interrupt our meals, our bedtime stories, howl behind our love-making, an insistent jackhammer of distress. We would demand an end to it. And if we failed to locate its source, we would condemn the whole structure. We would refuse to live under such conditions." Patricia Weaver Francisco 7 The Silent Child She sits alone in her room and wipes away her tears Hiding beneath the covers so no one else hears ~ She wraps them tight around her to shut out all her pain Praying if there is a God to make her safe again. She snuggles deep into her bed holding the covers tight Cuddling her little teddy bear she leaves on the light ~ She waits for the assurance that all have gone to bed Then settles into slumber so she can dream instead. She wakes at the sound of footsteps walking down the hall Then he stops outside her room and opens up the door ~ She shivers with her childlike fear as she starts to cry Knowing what he has come here for though she doesn't know why. He tells her she is special that she's his little girl As he pulls back the covers into her silent world ~ He says that it's their secret the special game they play For no one else would understand; they'd just take him away. She lay there in her silence with her clothes on the floor Trying not to think of it as the tears slowly fall ~ She hears the clock ticking as her mind drifts away Her teddy bear beside her where he also lay. 8 She wonders why he comes to her in the middle of the night When he should be with mummy holding her so tight ~ She listens to him tell her that she will be to blame If anyone discovers their special secret game. She pulls up the covers as he rises from her bed Tweaking at her little nose and kissing her forehead ~ She watches as he dresses as he tells her once again This is their little secret; she mustn't say a thing. She watches as he leaves her room and closes the door And listens for his footsteps walking back down the hall ~ Then she cuddles up to teddy and cries her silent tears Beneath her soiled covers so no one else can hear. And as she lay in her silence with her tear-filled eyes Each time that he comes to her a part of her dies ~ So she curls up in her bed and hugs her teddy tight And prays that he will never come to her again at night. © Christina 29th March, 2001 9 SUMMARY Child Sexual Abuse (CSA) is a societal problem whose origins date back to the times of the ancient Greeks and Romans. It is found in all levels of society, from the wealthiest to the poorest; and the short-term and long-term impacts it has on the lives of the victims, can be devastating. There are many reasons for the occurrence of child sexual abuse, but in all cases, the ultimate accountability rests on the shoulders of the sexual offender.

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