Victim Ambivalence to Report Sexual Abuse As noted before, it can be exceedingly difficult for victims of abuse to report their abusers especially where these are close family members of parental figures. In Diana’s case, the abuser was the man she knew as her father and while she did not like what he was doing to her, his threats that if she reported he would be arrested and then she would stop going to school, were to her mind very real. He was responsible for their care and upkeep and for their school fees. The intimidation therefore worked as she found it difficult to report. As a result, she became withdrawn and quiet and her school work suffered. The Protocol recognizes this difficulty and provides the following guidance; “Victims are at times traumatized and are often in a state of shock following an incident of sexual or domestic violence. Children are also often subjected to intimidation in an effort to try and stop them from disclosing the abuse. So officers need to be sensitive and empathetic.” Family Failure to Report As is clear from Diana’s case, it is not always the victim who is reluctant to report the matter. Diana’s mother Mercy once she had been told of the abuse was reluctant to report. The reasons for failure to report are numerous and these may include; fear of loss of support where the abuser is the breadwinner, intimidation, shame, denial or other concerns. They may also not report preferring to use customary dispute resolution mechanisms where the offender is made to pay compensation for the violation. Once Mercy reported her husband Joshua to the police, their marriage fell apart. In turn, Joshua informed his employers that Mercy had caused his arrest and Mercy and her children were immediately asked to leave the employer provided home they had been living in together with Joshua. It becomes clear that for children and women, where the perpetrator is a close family member or the breadwinner, reporting can have devastating financial consequences. This calls for the strengthening of social support systems so that children are not left destitute when a perpetrator decides to withdraw his support. 29 25