An examination of perpetrator explanations for sexual abuse of young children in South Africa

South Africa is alleged to have the highest rate of sexual abuse per capita among 49 other countries. These statistics and media reports have sparked debates about what could account for the sexual abuse of children under the age of six including babies. Speculations about what would account for this allegedly high incidence have used patriarchy, poverty, HIV / AIDS and the 'virgin myth'. To date not enough research has been completed to clarify or test the various theories that abound in the country. This thesis explores one element of the problem - how perpetrators make sense of sexual acts with young children in South Africa. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 27 incarcerated sex offenders aged between 16 and 86, all convicted for sexual abuse of children aged six years and below. The perpetrators in this study do not use the virgin cleansing myth as an explanation for the sexual abuse of young children. Instead the interviews tell a story of how childhood adversities, socio-cultural factors including patriarchal notions of manhood, particularly the perpetrators' beliefs about sexual entitlement, are used to explain the sexual abuse of young children. Interviewee narratives also suggest the democratisation of South Africa has led to feelings of disempowerment in these men and restricted their access to sex and this is used justify sexual abuse of young children. Although there were assertions that sexual gratification motivated the abuse, the findings suggest that perpetrators were mostly motivated by the need for the acquisition of power to target young children for sex