Trapped in a Maze: Arab Teachers in Israel Facing Child Sexual Abuse Among Their Pupils

Abstract

Cultural contexts are formative of and fundamental to how individuals understand, conceptualize, and act within a context of violence. Conceptually and methodologically, however, research from a culturally informed perspective on the experiences of teachers contending with the violence of child sexual abuse (CSA) in particular is broadly limited. As educators frequently confront cases of CSA in their everyday work, their ability to promote detection, disclosure intervention, and especially prevention gives them the potential to be agents of social change; however, while their responsibilities are critical, they are simultaneously members of their communities and cultures, and their interactions are bound by these dynamics. The purpose of the study is to analyze the experiences of Arab teachers in Israel who confront CSA in their everyday work. The findings are based on qualitative thematic analysis of semi-structured interviews conducted with 30 female Arab teachers working within the Arab school system in Israel. Results indicate that when facing CSA, the teachers experience an ongoing conflict between their cultural and professional codes, trapping them in a maze of intertwining and oppositional demands. On the one hand, they are constrained by the norm of protecting the honor and maintaining the status and reputation of those involved, including themselves; on the other hand, as empathetic professionals, they desire to aid their pupils. While the participants do not accept the status quo, they are effectively at a loss as to how to change it. In order find a way out of their entrapment in coping with CSA among their pupils, the only currently available path is to act as a lone hero; there is, however, the potential to foster the development of a secondary culture within the school to inaugurate cultural change in coping with CSA. Implications for future research, policy, and practice are discussed.

Child Sexual Abuse Studies in Arab Societies: A Systematic Review and Directions for Future Research

“…Of further concern, they felt that by making a formal report the abused child could be killed. The conflict between cultural and professional values and ethics among practitioners was further revealed in another study (Sigad & Tener, 2020). The teachers in this study felt obligated to protect the honor, status and reputation of all those involved, including themselves, while at the same time wanting to protect their students.…”

What Can We Learn About the Others Present During Incidents of Child Abuse?: Key Lessons and Future Directions Based on a Scoping Review

“…On the one hand, the teacher is legally expected to report CA incidents; however, the cultural context of the Arab society in Israel required several conditions for them to be able to do so. The teachers felt tremendous loneliness and a loyalty conflict between their commitment to pupils' well-being and professional ethics and the commitment to their traditional cultural codes, the conflict of which may have left the teachers in a state of helplessness (Harper & Perkins, 2018; Sigad & Tener, 2020). Yet, it is imperative for this topic to be systematically explored in future research.…”

“…The author emphasized both the feeling of not being supported and the importance of the quality of the formal and informal support network for non-abusing mothers. In Sigad & Tener's (2020) study, the teachers were in need of support from the school management to address the abuse as well as their own family members and the community at large. Without such support, there could be repercussions of putting themselves in emotional and physical danger if they were to report the abuse.…”

“…The cultural and religious contexts and impact on others' presence was another issue rarely discussed in the reviewed studies. Sigad and Tener's (2020) study on Arab teachers in Israel provided a glimpse into the value mismatch that can occur when social expectations and the mandatory reporting law clash. On the one hand, the teacher is legally expected to report CA incidents; however, the cultural context of the Arab society in Israel required several conditions for them to be able to do so.…”

A Qualitative Examination of School Counselors’ Experiences of Sextortion Cases of Female Students in Israel

“…Nevertheless, Arab society remains traditional and conservative (Hussain, 2020) As far as sex education is concerned, in Arab society, parents are responsible for inculcating in their children the norms of proper sexual conduct. Parents, however, are not as open with their children on this topic as parents in the Jewish community typically are (Sigad & Tener, 2022; Sinai & Shehade, 2019). As a result, the discussion of sexuality that takes place between parents and children in the Arab community is limited (Sinai & Shehade, 2019).…”