102 BOOUnWw8
for health, education.1ocal production. social affairs and provisions. The administration and
organisation is strong and effective. 'There are fully functioning schools, health care clinics,
and nutrition centres. Aid is given directly to the Saharawi people, through their own
Idministration. This is the only way the Saharawis can control the aid they teeeive for the
running of the camps. BefOte 1975 over 90 percent of Saharawi women were illiterate, but
JIleallUl:eI were taken to make education accessible to all. Women now manage the training
centres, lOll the creches, hospitals and clinics, do the training. teach and nurse, organise,
distribute food and other supplies, and bring up the children. Women's rights have been
protected by progressive reforms. Arranged marriages can no longer take place without
agreanent, dowries have disappeared, and women work and argue as equals.
The Slbarawi haveaeated an organised, caring society with the fun dynamic of women
positively involved, both in the struggle for liberation and for their own respect and status,
alongside the necessity to survive as nationals of the Saharawi Arab Democratic Republic.
While this publication is a rigorously researched collection of essays which will serve
students of the SlIharawi conflict well, there is a tendency to use oppressive academic
language which may exclude a wider reading public. Inthe study of refugees, the refugees
themselves know what is best for them, and they deserve to be asked and listened to. All
who work in the field of refugee relief, aid and development would be wise to take a look
at the Saharawi way of doing things.
Reviewed by M N Minde1,.Harare, Zimbabwe.
CbDd Abuse ud Its Consequences. Observational Approaches, Rachel Calam and
Christiana Franchi. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, 1987 (x+226 pp. US$13,95
pbk. ISBN 0 521 3161146 pbk).
Therather sweeping title of this book is misleading. implying amajor theoretical statement
or overview of research in the area. In fact the book reads more like a dissertation, being
a report of research undertaken by the authors in an English day centre for at risk children.
The title 'family Centre' for the day centre is also misleading. since siblings and fathers or
other familymembers did not attend. Basically it was a day nursery run by highly qualified
professional staff with compulsory attendance by mothers at certain times.
The mainbody of the book details the behavioral observation of eleven children at the
centre, in interaction with staff, peers and their own mothers. The account makes valuable
reading for anyone considering undertakil"tg research into child abuse, with its emphasis on
the importmce of direct observation of the child and child-parent communication process,
the summary of constraints, and the discussion of the different uses of statistical versus the
CISe study 1IJIP'Oacbes. The lack of a control group is explained, but is nevertheless a
weakness. The authors do not discuss the possibility that aiterion behaviours might be
equally common incontrols md there is no way of assessing from the study how much
nonabused children might also exhibit wak:hfu1nea, hostility, etc.
Another weakness in the book lies in a thecreiical discrepancy which might be
particu1.ly troublesome in a culture such as ours where some physical chastisement is
nonnative. The authors seem to assume implicitly that any corporal punishment is
undesirable, in spite of the fact that they themselves point out that degree of injuIy has no
BookRev~W8 103
correlation with psychological damage in abused children, and that many childrm may
suffer from emotionll rathec than physic~ abuse. I am in no way justifying harsh physicll
treatmmt of a child. but it could be argued that a smack or hiding may be a psychologically
'cleaner' means of control than emotional coercion, especially in young childrm who might
still have a limited understanding of environmental dangers. This is a controversial issue,
possibleybecause the boundaries arenotquite as clear as many flfst world theorists indicate.
How applicable is the book generally to Zimbabwe? The research design and details,
as suggested above. couldbe very usefully applied here. The day centre concept, on the other
hand. rnightneedconsiderable modification. The Family Centre ~bedmakes intensive
use of pofessionll labour, we simply could not afford such facilities in Zimbabwe. Apart
from cost, the authors point out a major disadvantage, even in the English context, that the
mothers learn little and are disempowered. handing over the management of their children
to the professionals. A much more useful approach would be to work with families to
increase and improve their nurturing and disciplining competence. Day centres to give
parmts a break from parenting, ortheuse of the extended family for the same purpose, would
of course be valuable.
All inall this book is rather dry reading, but useful for those concerned professionally
with the problem of child abuse, particularly researchers.
Reviewed by Margaret Henning, Clinical and Training Director, Family Counselling Unit,
Harare. Zimbabwe.