{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,9,24]],"date-time":"2026-09-24T12:17:39Z","timestamp":1790252259249,"version":"4.1.0"},"reference-count":46,"publisher":"SAGE Publications","issue":"11","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2018,5,8]],"date-time":"2018-05-08T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1525737600000},"content-version":"tdm","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/journals.sagepub.com\/page\/policies\/text-and-data-mining-license"}],"content-domain":{"domain":["journals.sagepub.com"],"crossmark-restriction":true},"short-container-title":["J Interpers Violence"],"published-print":{"date-parts":[[2018,6]]},"abstract":"<jats:p>The study intended to assess, based on the perceptions of Victim-Friendly Court (VFC) professionals in Marondera District in Zimbabwe, how the presence of the VFC and relevant child protection policy and legal frameworks has affected the management of Intrafamilial Child Sexual Abuse (ICSA) in Zimbabwe. Sem-istructured questionnaires were administered to 25 professionals from 13 VFC agencies in Marondera, while one-on-one semi-structured interviews were conducted with 15 key informants who included five ICSA survivors and their respective five caregivers as well as five key community child protection committee members. All 40 participants were selected using purposive sampling. Data were analyzed manually using thematic analysis, descriptive analysis, and document analysis. The study showed that the VFC manages ICSA through prevention, protection, treatment, and support interventions, and that its mandate is guided by key child protection policy and legal frameworks, particularly the National Action Plan for Orphaned and Vulnerable Children and the Children\u2019s Act (Chapter 5:06). The presence of these mechanisms is perceived to have resulted in increased awareness of ICSA, realization of effective results, increased reporting of ICSA, and enhanced coordination among VFC agencies. However, the same frameworks are perceived to be fraught with gaps and inconsistencies, too prescriptive, incoherent with some key aspects of the National Constitution and international child rights standards, and poorly resourced for effective implementation. All this has negatively affected the management of ICSA. Therefore, the Government of Zimbabwe should consistently review these systems to make them responsive to the ever-evolving factors associated with ICSA. Also, alignment with the National Constitution, full domestication of global child rights instruments, and routine collection of better statistics for evidence-based policy- and decision-making, and for better monitoring of progress and evaluation of outcomes, are necessary for positive results. Non-governmental stakeholders too should chip in with human, technical, and financial resources to enhance effective management of the social problem.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.1177\/0886260517752154","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2018,5,9]],"date-time":"2018-05-09T01:37:36Z","timestamp":1525829856000},"page":"1748-1777","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1177\/sage-journals-update-policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":11,"title":["How Has the Presence of Zimbabwe\u2019s Victim-Friendly Court and Relevant Child Protection Policy and Legal Frameworks Affected the Management of Intrafamilial Child Sexual Abuse in Zimbabwe? The Case of Marondera District"],"prefix":"10.1177","volume":"33","author":[{"given":"Anthony Shuko","family":"Musiwa","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Family AIDS Caring Trust, Mutare, Zimbabwe"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"179","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2018,5,8]]},"reference":[{"key":"bibr1-0886260517752154","unstructured":"Australian Bureau of Statistics. (2005). Personal safety survey Australia (Catalogue No. 4906.0). Canberra, Australia: Author. Retrieved from http:\/\/www.abs.gov.au\/ausstats\/abs@.nsf\/mf\/4906.0\/"},{"key":"bibr2-0886260517752154","volume-title":"The practice of social research","author":"Babbie E. R.","year":"2011"},{"key":"bibr3-0886260517752154","first-page":"439","volume":"28","author":"Barr C.","year":"2005","journal-title":"Child Abuse & Neglect"},{"key":"bibr4-0886260517752154","volume-title":"The United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child: CRS report for Congress","author":"Blanchfield L.","year":"2013"},{"key":"bibr5-0886260517752154","volume-title":"Conducting in-depth interviews: A guide for designing and conducting in-depth interviews for evaluation input","author":"Boyce C.","year":"2006"},{"key":"bibr6-0886260517752154","volume-title":"The Victim-Friendly Court system in Zimbabwe: A holistic approach to child sexual abuse & HIV prevention","author":"Brakarsh J.","year":"2003"},{"key":"bibr7-0886260517752154","volume-title":"Helping sexually abused children","author":"Brakarsh J.","year":"2010"},{"key":"bibr8-0886260517752154","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Braun V., Clarke V. (2006). Using thematic analysis in psychology. Qualitative Research in Psychology, 3, 77-101. Retrieved from http:\/\/eprints.uwe.ac.uk\/11735","DOI":"10.1191\/1478088706qp063oa"},{"key":"bibr9-0886260517752154","unstructured":"Children\u2019s Bureau (Administration for Children and Families, Administration on Children, Youth and Families) of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. (2012). Child maltreatment 2012. Washington, DC: Author. Retrieved from http:\/\/www.acf.hhs.gov\/programs\/cb\/research-data-technology\/statistics-research\/child-maltreatment"},{"key":"bibr10-0886260517752154","volume-title":"Indicators for children\u2019s rights: Zimbabwe case study","author":"Chiyangarara I.","year":"2006"},{"key":"bibr11-0886260517752154","volume-title":"Designing and conducting mixed method research","author":"Cresswell J. W.","year":"2011","edition":"2"},{"key":"bibr12-0886260517752154","volume-title":"Dangerous families: Assessment and the treatment of child abuse","author":"Dale P.","year":"2002"},{"key":"bibr13-0886260517752154","volume-title":"Towards a management approach for sustainable social development programmes for orphans in Southern Africa: Application of systems theory","author":"Dzirikure M.","year":"2011"},{"key":"bibr14-0886260517752154","volume-title":"Child sexual abuse: An interdisciplinary manual for diagnosis, case management and treatment in society","author":"Faller K. C.","year":"2005"},{"key":"bibr15-0886260517752154","first-page":"21","volume-title":"Unhappy families","author":"Finkelhor D.","year":"1985"},{"key":"bibr16-0886260517752154","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1016\/0145-2134(94)90026-4"},{"key":"bibr17-0886260517752154","first-page":"55","volume-title":"Sexually abused children and their families","author":"Fraser B. G.","year":"1981"},{"key":"bibr18-0886260517752154","volume-title":"The multisectoral handbook of child sexual abuse","author":"Furniss T.","year":"1991"},{"key":"bibr19-0886260517752154","volume-title":"Show me yours","author":"Goldman R.","year":"1988"},{"key":"bibr20-0886260517752154","volume-title":"Zimbabwe national orphan care policy","author":"Government of Zimbabwe","year":"2000"},{"key":"bibr21-0886260517752154","volume-title":"National gender policy","author":"Government of Zimbabwe","year":"2006"},{"key":"bibr22-0886260517752154","volume-title":"National child survival strategy for Zimbabwe (2010\u20132015)","author":"Government of Zimbabwe","year":"2010"},{"key":"bibr23-0886260517752154","volume-title":"Zimbabwe Constitution of 2013","author":"Government of Zimbabwe","year":"2013"},{"key":"bibr24-0886260517752154","volume-title":"Extended Zimbabwe National HIV and AIDS Strategic Plan (ZNASP) (2015\u20132020): Commitment towards fast-tracking 90-90-90 targets by 2020 and ending AIDS by 2030","author":"Government of Zimbabwe","year":"2015"},{"key":"bibr25-0886260517752154","volume-title":"Child abuse","author":"Kempe R. S.","year":"1984"},{"key":"bibr26-0886260517752154","volume-title":"First Mental Health Conference","author":"Khan N.","year":"1998"},{"key":"bibr27-0886260517752154","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1016\/S0145-2134(02)00336-8"},{"key":"bibr28-0886260517752154","volume-title":"Ubuntu: A Rainbow of Celebration of Cultural Diversity","author":"Mbigi L.","year":"1995"},{"key":"bibr29-0886260517752154","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1016\/0145-2134(83)90066-2"},{"issue":"2","key":"bibr30-0886260517752154","first-page":"41","volume":"52","author":"Muridzo N. G.","year":"2015","journal-title":"African Journal of Social Work"},{"issue":"1","key":"bibr31-0886260517752154","first-page":"12","volume":"21","author":"Mushunje M. T.","year":"2006","journal-title":"Journal of Social Development in Africa: Special Issue on Orphans and Other Vulnerable Children"},{"key":"bibr32-0886260517752154","volume-title":"Protocol for the multisectoral management of sexual abuse and violence in Zimbabwe","author":"National Victim-Friendly Court Committee","year":"2012","edition":"3"},{"key":"bibr33-0886260517752154","volume-title":"Community responses to child sexual abuse: The case of Chikomba District","author":"Ndaradzi M.","year":"2001"},{"key":"bibr34-0886260517752154","volume-title":"Social research methods: Qualitative and quantitative approaches","author":"Neuman W.","year":"2000"},{"key":"bibr35-0886260517752154","volume-title":"Police-reported crime statistics in Canada, 2012","author":"Perreault S.","year":"2013"},{"key":"bibr36-0886260517752154","volume-title":"Child sexual abuse within the family","author":"Porter P.","year":"1984"},{"key":"bibr37-0886260517752154","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1016\/S0140-6736(09)60247-6"},{"key":"bibr38-0886260517752154","first-page":"610","volume":"194","author":"Slonim-Nevo L. K.","year":"2007","journal-title":"Journal of Nervous and Mental Disease"},{"key":"bibr39-0886260517752154","volume-title":"Minimum package of services for orphans and other vulnerable children and youth","author":"Southern African Development Community","year":"2011"},{"key":"bibr40-0886260517752154","volume-title":"The state of the world\u2019s children 2001: Early childhood","author":"UNICEF","year":"2003"},{"key":"bibr41-0886260517752154","volume-title":"Ending child marriage: Progress and prospects","author":"UNICEF","year":"2014"},{"key":"bibr42-0886260517752154","volume-title":"Violence against children in Tanzania: Findings from a National Survey 2009","author":"UNICEF &amp; U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention","year":"2011"},{"key":"bibr43-0886260517752154","volume-title":"Child sexual abuse: A silent health emergency: Report of the regional director","author":"World Health Organization","year":"2004"},{"key":"bibr44-0886260517752154","volume-title":"Case study research: Design and methods","author":"Yin R. K.","year":"2003","edition":"2"},{"key":"bibr45-0886260517752154","volume-title":"National baseline survey on the life experiences of adolescents: Preliminary report, 2011","author":"Zimbabwe National Statistics Agency","year":"2012"},{"key":"bibr46-0886260517752154","volume-title":"2012 Zimbabwe Demographic and Health Survey","author":"Zimbabwe National Statistics Agency","year":"2012"}],"container-title":["Journal of Interpersonal Violence"],"original-title":[],"language":"en","link":[{"URL":"https:\/\/journals.sagepub.com\/doi\/pdf\/10.1177\/0886260517752154","content-type":"application\/pdf","content-version":"vor","intended-application":"text-mining"},{"URL":"https:\/\/journals.sagepub.com\/doi\/full-xml\/10.1177\/0886260517752154","content-type":"application\/xml","content-version":"vor","intended-application":"text-mining"},{"URL":"https:\/\/journals.sagepub.com\/doi\/pdf\/10.1177\/0886260517752154","content-type":"unspecified","content-version":"vor","intended-application":"similarity-checking"}],"deposited":{"date-parts":[[2026,4,29]],"date-time":"2026-04-29T23:13:05Z","timestamp":1777504385000},"score":1,"resource":{"primary":{"URL":"https:\/\/journals.sagepub.com\/doi\/10.1177\/0886260517752154"}},"subtitle":[],"short-title":[],"issued":{"date-parts":[[2018,5,8]]},"references-count":46,"journal-issue":{"issue":"11","published-print":{"date-parts":[[2018,6]]}},"alternative-id":["10.1177\/0886260517752154"],"URL":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1177\/0886260517752154","relation":{},"ISSN":["0886-2605","1552-6518"],"issn-type":[{"value":"0886-2605","type":"print"},{"value":"1552-6518","type":"electronic"}],"subject":[],"published":{"date-parts":[[2018,5,8]]}}}