Caregivers’ Experiences of Discussing Body Safety and Child Sexual Violence Prevention Messages With Their Children Living With HIV

Abstract

Background

Zoë-Life, a South African organisation dedicated to promoting the well-being of children, youth, and families, designed and distributed a pamphlet titled "Teaching Children Body Safety." This pamphlet aims to help parents and primary caregivers teach their children about body safety and the prevention of sexual violence, an essential issue in South Africa, particularly for vulnerable children, such as those living with HIV.

Aim

To explore the experiences of parents and primary caregivers in discussing body safety and sexual violence prevention messages with their children living with HIV in South Africa.

Setting

The study was conducted in Durban, among a Black African population in a township setting during the COVID-19 lockdown period.

Methods

A qualitative approach was adopted, and data were collected using the focus group method. Two focus groups were conducted with 24 purposively selected female parents and primary caregivers who had received the "Teaching Children Body Safety" pamphlet. Ritchie and Spencer’s analysis framework was applied to analyse the data. Ethical protocols were strictly observed, including anonymity, confidentiality, informed consent, and voluntary participation.

Results

The findings revealed several challenges faced by parents and primary caregivers when discussing body safety and sexual violence prevention with their children. These included cultural norms that discourage adults from using proper terminology for genitalia, limited knowledge of appropriate language and approaches to engage children, limited opportunities to promote privacy, and the fear of traumatising children during these discussions.

Conclusion

We recommend using the "Teaching Children Body Safety" pamphlet as a low-cost intervention to mitigate child sexual violence, addressing the challenges highlighted by the study and empowering parents and caregivers to have these critical conversations with their children.