Sexual, verbal and physical abuse by an intimate partner is happening to girls by the age of 13.
Shocking new research published in the South African Medical Journal has exposed the physical and emotional violence that children face in intimate relationships at school.
The research, conducted at 41 public schools in the Western Cape, surveyed almost 3000 Grade 8 pupils, with an average age of 13.65 years.
But, experts believe the problem is more widespread and likely to affect schools throughout the country.
The startling findings include:
l 10% of pupils reported being perpetrators of physical intimate partner violence (IPV), which includes hitting, pushing, kicking, choking or burning;
l 15.8% were victims or survivors of physical IPV;
l 5.9% reported being perpetrators of sexual IPV, which means forcing someone to have sex;
l 7.3% reported being victims of sexual IPV; and
l As a result, more than one in five of the children repeated Grade 8.
The findings, which asked only about the six months prior to questionnaires being completed, were particularly “alarming” considering that the mean age of the participants was only 13, researchers said.
“It is extremely concerning that adolescents this young are experiencing IPV,” said Dr Anika Gevers, a clinical psychologist who has studied the problem for more than eight years.
A teacher at a Western Cape intermediate school said violent intimate relationships were becoming a “trend”, and that he had had a 13-year-old pupil who was in a relationship with someone older. “She came from a background where money was an issue. They started having a relationship ... “She would come to school with a black eye or bruises on her body,” he said. He said the girl’s injuries did not shock other pupils because they see this “every day”.
“Kids are getting into relationships with older guys because they don’t have money ...These days kids want cellphones. They are young and do what they want to do.” He said some boys started relationships with older girls for “money and status”.
Shaheda Omar, from the Teddy Bear Clinic for abused children in Johannesburg, said they had also noticed a trend of physical assaults.
“Children are sexually active and experimenting and when the victim decides to end the relationship it can lead to physical assault.
Gevers said a number of factors fuelled the problem, including emotional abuse and neglect during childhood as well as witnessing domestic violence at home, which made intimate partner violence “part of a cycle of violence”.
Shock findings on teen violence trend in schools
Shocking new research published in the South African Medical Journal has exposed the physical and emotional violence that children face in intimate relationships at school.
The research, conducted at 41 public schools in the Western Cape, surveyed almost 3000 Grade 8 pupils, with an average age of 13.65 years.
But, experts believe the problem is more widespread and likely to affect schools throughout the country.
The startling findings include:
l 10% of pupils reported being perpetrators of physical intimate partner violence (IPV), which includes hitting, pushing, kicking, choking or burning;
l 15.8% were victims or survivors of physical IPV;
l 5.9% reported being perpetrators of sexual IPV, which means forcing someone to have sex;
l 7.3% reported being victims of sexual IPV; and
l As a result, more than one in five of the children repeated Grade 8.
The findings, which asked only about the six months prior to questionnaires being completed, were particularly “alarming” considering that the mean age of the participants was only 13, researchers said.
“It is extremely concerning that adolescents this young are experiencing IPV,” said Dr Anika Gevers, a clinical psychologist who has studied the problem for more than eight years.
A teacher at a Western Cape intermediate school said violent intimate relationships were becoming a “trend”, and that he had had a 13-year-old pupil who was in a relationship with someone older. “She came from a background where money was an issue. They started having a relationship ... “She would come to school with a black eye or bruises on her body,” he said. He said the girl’s injuries did not shock other pupils because they see this “every day”.
“Kids are getting into relationships with older guys because they don’t have money ...These days kids want cellphones. They are young and do what they want to do.” He said some boys started relationships with older girls for “money and status”.
Shaheda Omar, from the Teddy Bear Clinic for abused children in Johannesburg, said they had also noticed a trend of physical assaults.
“Children are sexually active and experimenting and when the victim decides to end the relationship it can lead to physical assault.
Gevers said a number of factors fuelled the problem, including emotional abuse and neglect during childhood as well as witnessing domestic violence at home, which made intimate partner violence “part of a cycle of violence”.
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