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MGG2602 Sexual Trauma
MGG2602 EXAM PREPARATION – Previous Exams
Answers are motivated by a combination of:
• Excerpts from the Tutorial matter
Assignments covered are:
• Oct-Nov 2013
• Jan-Feb 2014
• Oct-Nov 2014
• Jan-Feb 2015
• Oct-Nov 2015
• Jan-Feb 2016
• Oct-Nov 2016
• Jan-Feb 2017
• Oct-Nov 2017
Please note: This document is an additional tool for exam preparation. The Stuvia-user that compiled
and uploaded this document takes no responsibility for incorrect answers. Students must ensure
that they study the prescribed material and understand the content.
pg. 1
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Oct-Nov 2013 Exam
PART 1 TRUE/FALSE
Indicate whether the statements below are true or false
Question 1
Rape statistics reveal that the most common forms of rape are committed by strangers.
Answer: This statement is false.
Refer: MGG2602 TL102, pg. 166
Reasoning: Myth 7: Rapists are usually strangers.
This is one of the most common misconceptions about rape. Lewis (1994) quotes
the Medical Association of South Africa to illustrate the findings of studies that
reveal that up to 50% of rapists are known to their victims. Rapists are often from
the same school, workplace, block of flats or family. The rapist is often the person
the victim least suspects because they are acquainted.
Question 2
Penetrative sex has deeper emotional consequences for children than the mere touching of the
sexual organs.
Answer: This statement is false.
Refer: MGG2602 TL102, pg. 91
Reasoning: In working with child abuse survivors, one realises that stimulation and penetration
do not have to occur for a child to be sexually traumatised.
Question 3
The primary objective of a parent whose child has been sexually abused should be to help the child
to forget about the abuse and return to everyday activities as quickly as possible.
Answer: This statement is false.
Refer: MGG2602 TL201, pg. 85
Reasoning: Sexually abused children may experience a range of emotions as a result of the
abuse. Even though they may experience intense emotional turmoil, they are forced
to maintain silence because offenders do everything in their power to promote
forgetting. “Secrecy and silence are the perpetrator’s first line of defence. If secrecy
fails, the perpetrator attacks the credibility of his victim. If he cannot silence her
absolutely, he tries to make sure that no one listens” (Herman, 2001:8).
Question 4
Educational programmes that educate children about why it is important to say no to sexually
abusive touching and acts reduces the chances of being sexually abused.
Answer: This statement is false.
Refer: MGG2602 TL102, pg. 211
Reasoning: A multitude of child protection programmes emerged in the 1980s. These
programmes used a variety of mediums such as film, theatre, puppetry, books,
pg. 2
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marketplace
comics, role-play and discussion groups, which were usually classroom based, to
teach children how to protect themselves against sexual assault and what to do if
they experienced actual or potential abuse. The main objectives of these preventive
endeavours were to teach children things such as the differences between “good”,
“bad” and “questionable” touching, the concept of body ownership and children’s
right to control who touches their bodies and where they may be touched. These
programmes encouraged children to tell someone if they had been “touched” by
another person, even if they had been told by the person not to reveal the incident.
They alerted children to a range of resources they could consult if they were abused.
Sadly, many of these programmes failed to achieve their desired outcomes.
Question 5
It is not the responsibility of the district surgeon to treat the survivor of sexual abuse once the
forensic evidence has been collected and a charge of rape has been laid.
Answer: This statement is true.
Refer: MGG2602 TL102, pg. 101
Reasoning: The district surgeon should be experienced in dealing with the special needs of a
child during this investigation. Sadly, the district surgeon is not allowed to treat the
child since his or her role is to collect evidence.
Question 6
South African law no longer defines rape as a crime that is only committed against women.
Answer: This statement is true.
Refer: MGG2602 TL102, pg. 158
Reasoning: The Sexual Offences Act of 2007 redefined rape as well as identified and defined
various forms of sexual offences. The new definition of rape is gender neutral and is
defined as follows: “Any person (‘A’) who unlawfully and intentionally commits an
act of sexual penetration with a complainant (‘B’), without the consent of B, is guilty
of the offence of rape.”
Question 7
The feminist perspective holds that incest is the product of men abusing the power that is bestowed
on them as a result of the patriarchal system that is so evident within many of our societies.
Answer: This statement is true.
Refer: MGG2602 TL102, pg. 57
Reasoning: The feminist movement drew attention not only to men’s violence against women,
but also to their efforts to oppress them. The movement highlighted that more
women were raped, abused assaulted, burned, beaten and killed by their male
lovers than by all categories of men combined (Funk 1997).
Question 8
If children are taught that they are allowed to break socially sanctioned behaviours when it comes to
their being sexually abused the rate of sexual abuse would decrease.
pg. 3
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Answer: This statement is true.
Question 9
One cannot always blame perpetrators of sexual abuse because in some instances women provoke
men to abuse them by the way they act, such as wearing revealing clothing, being in public under
the influence of alcohol, accepting a lift from a stranger.
Answer: This statement is false.
Refer: MGG2602 TL102, pg. 115
Reasoning: Myth: Incest only happens to bad girls
It is often said that only women who consciously or unconsciously “ask for it” get
abused sexually. Matsakis (1996) reports that two thirds of Americans believe that
acts of sexual abuse are provoked by women and girls who dress or act
provocatively. There is a popular sentiment that women engage in sexual acts
voluntarily and then turn around and call it abuse later. This message certainly taints
survivors as bad, sexually “loose” women. Abuse happens to men and women of
every age, race, nationality and religion, no matter what their dress code or
behaviour.
Question 10
It is not possible for a woman to rape a healthy man unless he is consciously or unconsciously
willing.
Answer: This statement is false.
Refer: MGG2602 TL102, pg. 192
Reasoning: It should not be concluded that females are innocent of committing acts of sexual
abuse on males. Mounting research evidence about sexual abuse perpetration on
male children at the hands of female teenagers and adults has begun to challenge
the assumption that only males are responsible for sexual assaults. Because sexual
molestation by females tends to be less physical and more coercive than sexual
molestation committed by males, it is much more difficult to monitor its prevalence.
The incidence of female on male sexual abuse could be as high as 10 to 35% in cases
of child sexual abuse.
Question 11
The burden of proof in rape cases has been changed because of the new Sexual Offences Act of 2007
The burden of proof no longer rests on the victim but on the accused, who has to prove that the sex
act was consensual.
Answer: This statement is true.
Refer: MGG2602 TL102, pg. 220
Reasoning: The amendments proposed protect victims of sexual abuse, to some extent, against
further victimisation during court cases because the onus will be on the offender to
prove that the sex act was consensual; the onus will not be on the victim to prove
that the sex act was non-consensual. The amended legislation addresses the
shortcomings of the old Act by offering a more inclusive definition of rape,
pg. 4
marketplace
MGG2602 Sexual Trauma
MGG2602 EXAM PREPARATION – Previous Exams
Answers are motivated by a combination of:
• Excerpts from the Tutorial matter
Assignments covered are:
• Oct-Nov 2013
• Jan-Feb 2014
• Oct-Nov 2014
• Jan-Feb 2015
• Oct-Nov 2015
• Jan-Feb 2016
• Oct-Nov 2016
• Jan-Feb 2017
• Oct-Nov 2017
Please note: This document is an additional tool for exam preparation. The Stuvia-user that compiled
and uploaded this document takes no responsibility for incorrect answers. Students must ensure
that they study the prescribed material and understand the content.
pg. 1
, Stuvia.com - The study-notes
marketplace
Oct-Nov 2013 Exam
PART 1 TRUE/FALSE
Indicate whether the statements below are true or false
Question 1
Rape statistics reveal that the most common forms of rape are committed by strangers.
Answer: This statement is false.
Refer: MGG2602 TL102, pg. 166
Reasoning: Myth 7: Rapists are usually strangers.
This is one of the most common misconceptions about rape. Lewis (1994) quotes
the Medical Association of South Africa to illustrate the findings of studies that
reveal that up to 50% of rapists are known to their victims. Rapists are often from
the same school, workplace, block of flats or family. The rapist is often the person
the victim least suspects because they are acquainted.
Question 2
Penetrative sex has deeper emotional consequences for children than the mere touching of the
sexual organs.
Answer: This statement is false.
Refer: MGG2602 TL102, pg. 91
Reasoning: In working with child abuse survivors, one realises that stimulation and penetration
do not have to occur for a child to be sexually traumatised.
Question 3
The primary objective of a parent whose child has been sexually abused should be to help the child
to forget about the abuse and return to everyday activities as quickly as possible.
Answer: This statement is false.
Refer: MGG2602 TL201, pg. 85
Reasoning: Sexually abused children may experience a range of emotions as a result of the
abuse. Even though they may experience intense emotional turmoil, they are forced
to maintain silence because offenders do everything in their power to promote
forgetting. “Secrecy and silence are the perpetrator’s first line of defence. If secrecy
fails, the perpetrator attacks the credibility of his victim. If he cannot silence her
absolutely, he tries to make sure that no one listens” (Herman, 2001:8).
Question 4
Educational programmes that educate children about why it is important to say no to sexually
abusive touching and acts reduces the chances of being sexually abused.
Answer: This statement is false.
Refer: MGG2602 TL102, pg. 211
Reasoning: A multitude of child protection programmes emerged in the 1980s. These
programmes used a variety of mediums such as film, theatre, puppetry, books,
pg. 2
, Stuvia.com - The study-notes
marketplace
comics, role-play and discussion groups, which were usually classroom based, to
teach children how to protect themselves against sexual assault and what to do if
they experienced actual or potential abuse. The main objectives of these preventive
endeavours were to teach children things such as the differences between “good”,
“bad” and “questionable” touching, the concept of body ownership and children’s
right to control who touches their bodies and where they may be touched. These
programmes encouraged children to tell someone if they had been “touched” by
another person, even if they had been told by the person not to reveal the incident.
They alerted children to a range of resources they could consult if they were abused.
Sadly, many of these programmes failed to achieve their desired outcomes.
Question 5
It is not the responsibility of the district surgeon to treat the survivor of sexual abuse once the
forensic evidence has been collected and a charge of rape has been laid.
Answer: This statement is true.
Refer: MGG2602 TL102, pg. 101
Reasoning: The district surgeon should be experienced in dealing with the special needs of a
child during this investigation. Sadly, the district surgeon is not allowed to treat the
child since his or her role is to collect evidence.
Question 6
South African law no longer defines rape as a crime that is only committed against women.
Answer: This statement is true.
Refer: MGG2602 TL102, pg. 158
Reasoning: The Sexual Offences Act of 2007 redefined rape as well as identified and defined
various forms of sexual offences. The new definition of rape is gender neutral and is
defined as follows: “Any person (‘A’) who unlawfully and intentionally commits an
act of sexual penetration with a complainant (‘B’), without the consent of B, is guilty
of the offence of rape.”
Question 7
The feminist perspective holds that incest is the product of men abusing the power that is bestowed
on them as a result of the patriarchal system that is so evident within many of our societies.
Answer: This statement is true.
Refer: MGG2602 TL102, pg. 57
Reasoning: The feminist movement drew attention not only to men’s violence against women,
but also to their efforts to oppress them. The movement highlighted that more
women were raped, abused assaulted, burned, beaten and killed by their male
lovers than by all categories of men combined (Funk 1997).
Question 8
If children are taught that they are allowed to break socially sanctioned behaviours when it comes to
their being sexually abused the rate of sexual abuse would decrease.
pg. 3
, Stuvia.com - The study-notes
marketplace
Answer: This statement is true.
Question 9
One cannot always blame perpetrators of sexual abuse because in some instances women provoke
men to abuse them by the way they act, such as wearing revealing clothing, being in public under
the influence of alcohol, accepting a lift from a stranger.
Answer: This statement is false.
Refer: MGG2602 TL102, pg. 115
Reasoning: Myth: Incest only happens to bad girls
It is often said that only women who consciously or unconsciously “ask for it” get
abused sexually. Matsakis (1996) reports that two thirds of Americans believe that
acts of sexual abuse are provoked by women and girls who dress or act
provocatively. There is a popular sentiment that women engage in sexual acts
voluntarily and then turn around and call it abuse later. This message certainly taints
survivors as bad, sexually “loose” women. Abuse happens to men and women of
every age, race, nationality and religion, no matter what their dress code or
behaviour.
Question 10
It is not possible for a woman to rape a healthy man unless he is consciously or unconsciously
willing.
Answer: This statement is false.
Refer: MGG2602 TL102, pg. 192
Reasoning: It should not be concluded that females are innocent of committing acts of sexual
abuse on males. Mounting research evidence about sexual abuse perpetration on
male children at the hands of female teenagers and adults has begun to challenge
the assumption that only males are responsible for sexual assaults. Because sexual
molestation by females tends to be less physical and more coercive than sexual
molestation committed by males, it is much more difficult to monitor its prevalence.
The incidence of female on male sexual abuse could be as high as 10 to 35% in cases
of child sexual abuse.
Question 11
The burden of proof in rape cases has been changed because of the new Sexual Offences Act of 2007
The burden of proof no longer rests on the victim but on the accused, who has to prove that the sex
act was consensual.
Answer: This statement is true.
Refer: MGG2602 TL102, pg. 220
Reasoning: The amendments proposed protect victims of sexual abuse, to some extent, against
further victimisation during court cases because the onus will be on the offender to
prove that the sex act was consensual; the onus will not be on the victim to prove
that the sex act was non-consensual. The amended legislation addresses the
shortcomings of the old Act by offering a more inclusive definition of rape,
pg. 4
