Policing the Scourge of Child Sexual Abuse in Hatcliffe Community, Harare, Zimbabwe: A Pragmatic Approach

Abstract

The main aim of this study was to investigate the effectiveness of crime awareness campaigns in curbing child sexual abuse. Hatcliffe Community in Harare, Zimbabwe, was the focus of the study. The research's objectives were, inter alia: to determine various forms of child sexual abuse, to determine factors leading to child sexual abuse, to establish the challenges faced by ZRP Borrowdale in curbing child sexual abuse and to proffer strategies that could be adopted to curb child sexual abuse cases in Hatcliffe Community. The study utilised a pragmatic approach to research, applying both qualitative and quantitative methodologies. Questionnaires and interview guides were used to collect quantitative and qualitative data which was then presented in the form of graphs, tables and charts created with the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS). Data were gathered from police officers at ZRP Borrowdale. The study findings show that crime awareness campaigns can effectively reduce child sexual abuse cases. It is recommended that the Zimbabwe Republic Police should formulate a comprehensive partnership with other stakeholders like religious organisations, children’s rights protection advocacy groups, schools and the mass media to raise an equally comprehensive public awareness campaign programmes against child sexual abuse.