The role of Isange One Stop Centre in Psychosocial Support to Child Sexual Abuse Victims: A case Study of Kacyiru IOSC.

Abstract

Child sexual abuse is a major challenge facing the world. In Rwanda, different strategies put in place with objective to eradicate and respond child sexual abuse. Among these mechanisms include the establishment of Isange One Stop Centre. Child sexual abuse is prevalently observed countrywide. In this perspective, this study explored the role of Isange One Stop Centre in Psychosocial Support to Child Sexual Abuse Victims: A case Study of Kacyiru IOSC. It has identified the psychosocial programs offered by IOSC, effectiveness to child sexual abuse victims and challenges. The study used qualitative designs and was conducted on a sample of 95 people consisted of 45 child sexual abuse victims, 45 parents/guardians, and 5 psychologists selected by using purposive sampling methods. The study findings disclosed that the psychosocial services provided by Isange One Stop Centre to child sexual abuse were in two categories: Psychological support services and social support services. The psychological services involve is a victim medical treatment using the counselling of child sexual victims. This approach was applied in two phases. Victim – psychotherapist face to face medical treatment contact at Isange one Stop Centre Kacyiru and Victim – psychotherapist home medical treatment follow-up. The study findings found that the psychological support services were effective in responding to child sexual abuse. The majority of respondents unveiled that they were healed from sexual abuse post traumatic disorders after receiving the psychological support provided by IOSC. The level of sickness and the period of recovery varied from one person to another. Moreover, the study findings affirmed that IOSC provides the social services to child sexual abuse victims. These services are viewed into two categories: Free charge medical treatment and transport cost, and the reintegration of victims into the community. As far as the free charge medical treatment and transport services, the study findings disclosed that IOSC coverers the bills of medical treatment and transport cost which should in normal circumstances be the liabilities to be paid by child sexual abuse victims. Besides, the study findings unveiled that IOSC liaises with parents of child sexual abuse victims, the community and advise them to take appropriate care of the victims. In addition, the study findings showed that, IOSC and partners (Ministries, GMO, Police, RIB, etc.) encourage, organize and support the different victims’ initiatives (income generation, hobbies, access to justice, access to education and vocational training, etc.) organized with objective to promote the victim development and integration within the community and better wellbeing at large. They were also conclusive evidences affirming the effectiveness of Isange one Stop Centre in responding to child sexual abuse in Rwanda. In this contention, it is therefore evident to establish that IOSC contributed irrefutably in responding effectively to child sexual abuse in Rwanda. However, the above IOSC highlights in preventing and/or responding to child sexual abuse, the study findings identified some major challenges, including poverty preventing child sexual abuse effective access to Isange One Stop Centre services and covering the victims basic needs, contamination of sexual trailed diseases affecting living a better life, non reporting and/or underreporting of child sexual abuse cases to competent authorities and IOSC for follow up and providing appropriate medical interventions, insufficient financial budget to cover psychosocial support services, and inexistent of social workers , and insufficient medical staff specialized in psychotherapy. Given these challenges, the researcher provided some recommendation in order to bridge these gaps, mainly providing the sufficient budget to IOSC, promoting the sensitization campaigns through education and/or media, and liaise with partners and other governmental institutions on child sexual abuse consequences and prevention strategies, providing sufficient medical staff, monitoring and evaluation of psychosocial support program implementation, and adjusting policies guiding the social support interventions, providing to child sexual abuse victims adequate medical care and support by emphasizing to victims contracted sexual transmitted diseases.