SOCIAL WORK INTERVENTION STRATEGIES FOR VICTIMS OF CHILD DEFILEMENT

ABSTRACT

The study examined the social work intervention strategies for victims of child defilement in Igarra community Edo State. The scourge of child defilement has gained public attention in recent decades and has generated a great deal of researches globally. Obviously, child defilement is one of the most traumatizing forms of abuse against children, usually committed by persons well known to the child or in position of power. Child sexual defilement transcends all racial, ethnic, and religious boundaries as well as cultures. Defilement and exploitation of children is a violation of a child human rights and a public health problem with significant consequences for global health and development. To nagivate this study, the general objective of the study is to examine social work intervention strategies for victims of child defilement in Igarra community Edo State. The specific objectives are as follow: to examine the causes of child defilement in Igarra community; ascertain the effects of child defilement on children psychology in Igarra community; explore community responses to child defilement in Igarra community; and finally to examine social work intervention strategies in curbing and ameliorate the effect of child defilement in Igarra community of Akoko Edo local government area. Also, four research questions and hypotheses were formulated to guide the study. The research questions and hypotheses formulated were answered and tested respectively. The study adopted cognitive behavioural theory (CBT) and sexual inadequacy theory to provide an understanding of the subject matter of child defilement. The research design adopted for the study is survey research design. The research design enabled the researcher to use both primary and secondary sources of data collection. The research instrument for the study is the questionnaire and indepth interview. The population of the study comprises of 14,647 residents of Igarra community in Akoko Edo Local Government Area. The Taro Yamane formula was used to derive 390 sample size for the study and 10 key informants for indepth interview. The data collected from the survey was analyzed using SPSS version 25 adopting statistical instruments. The study found that unemployment, pleasure satisfaction, ritual purpose, poverty, personality problem is identified as the causes of child defilement in Igarra community. The study recommends that governmental agency or centre should be created for the advocacy of conscious and concrete parental care on the children.