Intimate partner sexual abuse : a case study of a rural community in South Africa

D.Litt. et Phil. (Psychology)Abstract: Intimate partner sexual abuse (IPSA) is problem in SA and, in particular, in rural communities. In addition to the lack of access to services, low educational levels, poverty, social isolation, sociocultural practices, and value systems, the local understanding of IPSA in rural communities shapes its continued existence and the manner in which rural communities respond to IPSA. To explore the social construction of IPSA, the researcher conducted a multilevel and multimethod study in one rural community in Eastern Cape. Five self-identified female victims of IPSA (called cases) were interviewed to reflect the intrapersonal level of the community, and five of their friends or neighbours (called controls) were interviewed to reflect the interpersonal level of the community. In addition, three subsets of community leaders (chiefs, pastors, and ward councillors) were interviewed at the community level. Guided by social constructionist epistemology, discourse analysis was conducted to demonstrate how the use of language had an effect on the social construction of IPSA and how it was addressed in this rural community. The findings of the study revealed contradictory discourses of IPSA. On one hand, the cases constructed IPSA using discourses that portrayed them as victims. On the other hand, community leaders rejected those constructions that positioned men as responsible and accountable for IPSA. The contradictory ways in which IPSA is talked in this community shaped the manner in which IPSA is addressed both formally and informally on various ecosystemic levels. In this community, victims of IPSA are stigmatized, blamed, and denied help. The findings illustrated the complex interlinked discourses at the intrapersonal, interpersonal, and community levels that enable the continued existence of IPSA in this community. The study recommends context-based interventions to address negative constructions that stigmatize, blame, and further traumatize IPSA victims in this community. An integrated model of services could be an example of a proposed intervention. Implications include strengthened policy implementation. This can involve translation of policies into local languages to raise awareness on IPSA and empower victims of IPSA with agency and assertiveness. Another implication of the study is the empowerment of community leaders about their obligation to assist IPSA victims. The study also recommends that future research should consider exploring how perpetrators construct IPSA