Congratulations to Natasha Hendricks, a PhD fellow based at the Children’s Institute, for being selected as a recipient of the Resources and Prevention of Child Abuse and Neglect (RAPCAN) Legacy Doctoral scholarship in July 2019.

Hendricks is the first awardee of the new scholarship and will be funded for three years to conduct a study in “The Intergenerational Impact of Child Sexual Abuse among Mothers in South Africa.”

The study aims to explore the intergenerational impact of child sexual abuse on women’s experiences of mothering and the effects on their children. The study will use mixed methods to explore this phenomenon from the perspective of both mothers and their children (aged 14 -17 years). This research will be critical to inform the development of interventions for both mothers and their children to reduce the effects of trauma.

She is registered for PhD studies in the School of Public Health, UCT, and Prof Shanaaz Mathews, director of the Children's Institute, is the primary supervisor for this study.

About RAPCAN

Resources and Prevention of Child Abuse and Neglect (RAPCAN), a Cape Town-based NGO, played a leading role in the field of child rights and protection from 1989 until they closed their doors in 2017. The RAPCAN Board of Directors decided to preserve the organisation’s legacy through the creation of the RAPCAN Legacy Doctoral Scholarship.