View/Open - University of Zululand Institutional Repository

\
[77]
which are difficult to hide and poverty cannot be denied according to Gil (1971). Gil
stresses the fact that poverty per se does not cause child abuse. Young (1964) found
that physical abuse takes the form ofbeating children with ironing cords, wires, sticks,
lead pipes, etc. or slamming them into a wall; breaking their bones; or burning them
with cigarettes, hot stoves, and scalding water. Kempe (1976) and Renvoize (1975)
found another type of abusing parent:- one who dresses well, appears to be interested
in the child and yet assaults the child physically. Kempe (1976) and Renvoize (1975)
found that physically abused children are very young, more than half being under one
year of age. They also found that more first-born children are abused than others.
Kempe (1976) points out that another feature of the physically abused child is that he
is often repeatedly abused and that many of these children die unless steps are taken
to prevent the abuse (Mc Kay 1983 : 15).
Gelles (1978) conducted a survey on the incidence of physical abuse in the United
States which gave an indication of the seriousness of this problem. He found that
available statistics on child abuse did not report on the numerous violent acts that
occur in families. The wide acts, range from hiding to grievous assault, have largely
gone unnoticed. He did a survey of literature and found that between 84% and 97%
of parents used some form of physical punishment on their children. Krige (1977)
assumed that the South African incidence was about the same as for other world urban
areas, which he took to mean that at least 250 children per million were
non-accidentally injured each year. Smith & Hanson (1974) found the mortality rate
was approximately 15%. Approximately 4% had siblings who had died under suspicious
circumstances (Mc Kay 1983 : 16).
(b) Sexual abuse
The reported incidence of sexual abuse has risen dramatically in recent years in all
parts of the Western world and the pattern is identical in South Africa.In 1984, only
61 children had been sexually abused had been seen at Addington Hospital in a
three-and-a-haIf year period. By 1986, 106 cases of sexual abuse came to the attention
of the authorities within one year, and the figures are increasing. Last year sexual