Abstract:
This article briefly reports on the results of an explorative study pertaining to the behavioural profile of male
serial child rapists. An extensive literature review indicated that there is a dearth of research relating to the
serial rape of children, especially in South Africa. As the first study in South Africa to explore the modus operandi
employed by serial child rapists, the research conducted by Hall (2018)1 produced findings which contribute to
the scant body of knowledge regarding child serial rapists. A qualitative document case study approach was
undertaken in two phases. The first phase entailed a content analysis of police case dockets followed by the
second phase where semi-structured interviews were conducted with field experts; this article only reports on
the first phase of the study. The research was underpinned, by the routine activities theory which highlighted
that children fall victim to serial child rapists as they intersect at a time and place during their daily activities.
Most often, children are left vulnerable due to a lack of guardianship. The results showed that serial child rapists
tend to operate consistently, exhibiting similar predatory patterns, especially in their approach methods. The
exploration of serial child rapists also revealed two distinct profiles, namely opportunists and groomers.
However, investigators should consider using already known profile variables of serial rapists when
investigating child rape cases because the general behavioural profile of serial rapists in South Africa who
target adults is not dissimilar from that of serial rapists who target children.
