 |
Chapter contents. Context and focus: child sexual abuse
|
|
|
|
CHAPTER CONTENTS
· Introduction 272
· Context and Focus: Child Sexual Abuse 272
· Analysis of Qualitative Data 273
¡ Analysing documents 276
¡ Analysing interviews 278
· Types and Levels of Analysis 283
¡ Concepts and conceptual themes 283
¡ Theory building 285
· Hypothesis Testing and Data Analysis 287
· Critical Reflection 288
¡ Feminist ideologies 289
¡ Reflexivity 290
• Summary and Review 291
· Study Questions and Activities for Students 291
· Suggestions for Further Reading 292
· References 292
GLOSSARY TERMS
interviews hypothesis testing grounded theory secondary analysis
perspective reflexivity conceptual themes praxis
DOING QUALITATIVE DATA ANALYSIS IN CRIMINOLOGICAL RESEARCH
Pamela DavIes
INTRODUCTION
This chapter focuses on doing analysis using data derived from qualitative research. In broad terms, the chapter addresses connectivities between real-world victimiza- tion, evidence-based knowledge and how an advanced stage of analysis can lead to theoretical developments. The examples draw on my own efforts to do qualitative analysis in the context of research on the sensitive and emotive topic of child sexual abuse. I also draw on research conducted by others on the same topic. After a general contextual discussion of child sexual abuse (CSA), an outline of my own research project is provided. Analysing qualitative data in general is then briefly discussed before drilling into an analysis which dovetails documentary and interview data in the context of child sexual abuse. Types and levels of analysis are explored. First, conceptual themes are considered and illustrated before considering analysis that leads to theory building. Hypothesis testing and data analysis are illustrated before a further dimension to the analysis of findings is discussed. Reflexive analysis from a particular perspective and ontological position adds a further dimension to doing analysis of qualitative research.
|
|
|
CONTEXT AND FOCUS: CHILD SEXUAL ABUSE
The main focus of the chapter is on doing qualitative analysis in the context of research on the topic of child sexual abuse and exploitation (CSA/CSE). Both historical abuse and contemporary abuse are presently highly topical and newsworthy subjects. In the British context, the Cleveland Inquiry 1988 was the first major inquiry into child sexual abuse. Reactions to it put into context the difficulties and complexities of understanding and researching CSA/CSE. In the decades that followed, there were several significant changes, including ‘Working Together’ statutory guidance (1991, 1999, 2006, 2010, 2013, 2015 and 2018); Sexual Offences Acts (1993, 1997); Every Child Matters (Green Paper, 2003); the Munro Review of Child Protection (2011); the Children Act 1989 and Children Act 2004; and The Children and Families Act 2014. All of these documents/guidelines and legislation were designed to ensure the delivery of a child-centred approach to safeguarding. Following a Metropolitan Police investigation – Operation Yewtree – that commenced in late 2012 into the alleged abuse of young people by Jimmy Savile, findings revealed sexual abuse on an unprec- edented scale (Gray and Watt, 2013). Since then, many more have felt able to speak out about their experiences and other celebrities have been accused and some con- victed of CSA since. At the time of writing, there are widespread reports emerging of historical abuse of the young in connection with sporting activities, and the wide- spread media broadcasting of these cases has been a key factor in rendering such cases more visible in the public eye. In 2014 the Jay Report into child sexual exploitation in
Rotherham, South Yorkshire, UK described at least 1400 cases of CSE (1997–2013) and highlighted the failures of agencies in that area to act effectively. In the UK, a grow- ing number of large-scale inquiries into the institutional abuse of children culminated in an ‘Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse’, though this lengthy ongoing inquiry has been fraught with leadership problems. In the meantime, police operations such as Operation Sanctuary in the north-east of England continue to tackle the sexual exploitation of women and girls, with notable success in securing convictions.
Child sexual abuse has also been catapulted into the foreground of media reports in New Zealand, Australia and Canada, where responses to such abuse and research on this have recently been published. As noted by Stanley in Chapter 14 of this vol- ume, the official response to the violence and harms suffered by those held as children within state institutions in New Zealand has been to silence, deny or mini- mize testimonies in response to ongoing attempts to secure redress (see also Stanley, 2016). Daly’s research in Australia and Canada sought to historicize the emergence of institutional abuse as a social problem, compare responses by authorities and determine whether there was an optimal redress response from victim-surivivors’ perspectives (see Chapter 21 in this volume and Daly, 2014).
|
|
|
The emergence of historical abuse alongside contemporary experiences of CSA/ CSE has seen a number of inquiries into child sexual exploitation, trafficking and child sexual abuse being launched in various parts of the world. Despite significant changes to promote children’s safety and protection, child sexual abuse is a stub- bornly problematic, complex and emotive social problem. Current strategies and interventions leave many unprotected, with opportunities to intervene being missed. In other cases, interventions have been criticized for being over-zealous. In both scenarios, there is a wake of damage and harm to families affected by CSA.
Having contextualized the subject of child sexual abuse, it is clear that researching the problem is likely to involve many obstacles, including definition of terms, differ- ent contexts, time periods and places where abuse occurs, the emotive nature of the subject, gender and age dimensions to the problem and changing legislation, policy and practice. I now introduce the research project which I draw on to illustrate my analytical points. My experience of analysing and making sense of qualitative data relates to a research project that explored the needs of, and support for, families affected by child sexual abuse. A brief outline of the aims, methodology and guiding questions is given in Box 12. 1.
|
|
|
