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“Theyabduct usand rapeus”: Adolescents’ participatory visual reflections of their vulnerability to sexual violence in South African townships

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  • Daluxolo Ngidi, Ndumiso
  • Moletsane, Relebohile
  • Essack, Zaynab

Abstract

The abduction and sexual violation of adolescents, especially in township contexts, has increasingly made headlines in South Africa. These incidents are evocative of jackrolling, a phenomenon that plagued townships during the apartheid upheavals in the late 1980s. The abduction of adolescents on their school journeys has been reported in several South African townships. In this paper, we report on a study in which we used participatory visual methods (i.e., cellphilms: short videos made with cellphones) to explore how 19 adolescent girls and boys living in the Inanda, Ntuzuma, and KwaMashu (INK) township precinct, outside Durban reflected on their vulnerability to sexual violence. Although the question was broad, our analysis of the visual data suggests that adolescents believed that their vulnerability to abduction and rape was almost inevitable. As such, in their cellphilms, they chose to portray their risk and vulnerability to abduction, rape, and even murder on their daily journeys to and from school. We found that through this methodology, adolescents were able to illustrate and/or articulate their fear of sexual violence. For them, violence was an inescapable reality that created fear and helplessness. This underscores the need for interventions, including the provision of safe scholar transport and visible policing in the community.

Suggested Citation

  • Daluxolo Ngidi, Ndumiso & Moletsane, Relebohile & Essack, Zaynab, 2021. "“Theyabduct usand rapeus”: Adolescents’ participatory visual reflections of their vulnerability to sexual violence in South African townships," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 287(C).
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:socmed:v:287:y:2021:i:c:s0277953621007334
    DOI: 10.1016/j.socscimed.2021.114401
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Karen Graaff & Lindy Heinecken, 2017. "Masculinities and gender-based violence in South Africa: A study of a masculinities-focused intervention programme," Development Southern Africa, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 34(5), pages 622-634, September.
    2. Jewkes, Rachel & Penn-Kekana, Loveday & Rose-Junius, Hetty, 2005. "''If they rape me, I can't blame them": Reflections on gender in the social context of child rape in South Africa and Namibia," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 61(8), pages 1809-1820, October.
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    Cited by:

    1. Ngidi, Ndumiso Daluxolo & Essack, Zaynab, 2022. "Mapping the unsafe school journey: Rural primary school children’s perspectives on dangerous social geographies in South Africa," International Journal of Educational Development, Elsevier, vol. 94(C).
    2. Muzyamba, Choolwe, 2022. "Community Mobilization as a tool against sexual and gender-based violence in SADC region," MERIT Working Papers 2022-036, United Nations University - Maastricht Economic and Social Research Institute on Innovation and Technology (MERIT).

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