Islamic lifestyle with a focus on health

Islamic lifestyle with a focus on health

Study of Representaion of Child Sexual Abuse in PersianLanguage News Websites

Authors
1 Associate Professor, Department of Social Communication Sciences, Faculty of Social Sciences, University of Tehran, Iran
2 Professor, Department of Social Communication Sciences, Faculty of Social Sciences, University of Tehran, Iran
3 PhD student, Department of Communication Sciences, Faculty of Social Sciences, University of Tehran, Iran
Abstract
purpose: This study aimed to investigate how child sexual abuse is 
reflected in Persian-language news websites. The goal was to 
determine whether these websites effectively raise awareness about 
child sexual abuse or simply create a stereotypical image of it.
Materials and Methods: In this research, two cases of child sexual 
abuse, Neda Alizadeh and Mohammad Hossein A'mi Azghadi, who 
garnered media attention in the spring of 2018, were analyzed using 
content analysis. The statistical population of this study included 24 
news articles about Neda and 14 about Mohammad Hossein on 
Persian-language websites, which all of them have been analyzed 
due to the limited number of related news articles.
Findings: Persian-language news websites provided very limited 
coverage of the studied cases of child sexual abuse, with most 
articles ending with news of the perpetrator's execution. The main 
elements of the news articles were "event details," "introduction of 
the perpetrator," and "introduction of the child." The main approach 
of these websites was to present a dramatic story using specific 
adjectives and details in these three elements, rather than providing 
analysis and root cause identification.
Conclusion: The studied cases of child sexual abuse were focused 
on creating moral panic towards the perpetrator, rather than 
providing informative and educational content. This approach 
creates a stereotypical way of thinking about child sexual abuse and 
especially the perpetrator, and is unable to offer solutions to prevent 
it by identifying the underlying causes, which is necessary to 
provide effective measures to prevent child sexual abuse and 
promote social health in the community.
Keywords