Forgotten fathers: the experiences of six fathers whose children have been sexually victimised by other men

Abstract

The thesis presents the experiences of six fathers whose children have been sexually victimised by other men. Each father is a New Zealand European man and the biological parent of a victimised child. The children were all in the age range 0-12 years at the time they were sexually abused, and the elapsed time period between the disclosure of their victimisation and the research interview with their respective father is under 10 years. In every case the identity of the perpetrator is known to be a man who is not a father in this sample. The thesis is a small-scale, qualitative exploration of an aspect of child sexual victimisation that has not previously appeared in research literature. The work is Phenomenological by nature and is informed by Grounded Theory methodology, as proposed by Glaser & Strauss and further developed by others. The participants have been located by community networking and were interviewed individually using a semi-structured format and an audio tape-recorder for the transcription of data. The fathers' experiences are presented in two modes; firstly, as stand-alone stories of their unique lives, and secondly, in a discussion set against a backdrop of existing literature and current theory. The main findings are offered as a conceptualisation or clarification of the fathers' experiences. The men have described complex responses to their situations, including issues of grief, anger, stigma, betrayal, powerlessness, and depression. These concerns appear to have been exacerbated by the presence of either an intra-familial perpetrator, a pre-existing custody dispute, a lack of close emotional support for the father, an anti-male response from Department of Social Welfare officers, or a contested criminal trial of the perpetrator. These findings may have implications for future social work practice, policy and/or research. Conversely, they may yield recommendations that are as localised as this sample of six fathers surely is. Notwithstanding the latter, the findings suggest that a father might benefit from supportive social work practice, a male social worker, and an appropriate collaborative role in case management. The Department of Social Welfare may need to recruit and/or train more male social workers to work with non-offending fathers in the area of child sexual victimisation. As the principal agency in this field it may also need to take a leading role in initiating or sponsoring resources for the educative or therapeutic support of these fathers. As a pilot study the thesis surveys new territory with the purpose of initiating future work on a larger scale. Such expanded research might gather information by a combination of quantitative and qualitative methods, and may span certain cultural, geographical and/or social boundaries. It is hoped that professional social workers will attempt to improve upon the present paucity of research on fathering so that an accurate view of contemporary fatherhood might emerge.