Mandatory reporting obligations within the context of health research: Grappling with some of the ethical-legal complexities
Main Article Content
Abstract
Mandatory reporting of various forms of abuse, from violence to corruption, is an attempt by the state to intervene in circumstances where there is a public or a private interest that ought to be protected. This intrusion of the state into what is often a very personal space, such as the home, is largely justified on the basis of the need to provide protection to prevent further harm, and in services to vulnerable populations such as children, the disabled or the elderly. In some instances, researchers and other members of the study team may encounter reportable information requiring the consideration of mandatory reporting in the design, implementation and review of health research. This is not simple. There are complex and competing interests at play, particularly as there are differing approaches in law and ethical guidelines. This article aims to describe the mandatory reporting obligations in South African law, discussing the ways in which these provisions apply within the context of health research, and to propose some factors that could be used to determine whether it is ethical or not to report information.
Article Details

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.
The SAJBL is published under an Attribution-Non Commercial International Creative Commons Attribution (CC-BY-NC 4.0) License. Under this license, authors agree to make articles available to users, without permission or fees, for any lawful, non-commercial purpose. Users may read, copy, or re-use published content as long as the author and original place of publication are properly cited.
Exceptions to this license model is allowed for UKRI and research funded by organisations requiring that research be published open-access without embargo, under a CC-BY licence. As per the journals archiving policy, authors are permitted to self-archive the author-accepted manuscript (AAM) in a repository.
How to Cite
References
Mathews B, Kenny MC. Mandatory reporting legislation in the United States, Canada, and Australia: A cross-jurisdictional review of key features, differences, and issues. Child Maltreat 2009;13(1):50-63.
Oz S, Balshan D. Mandatory reporting of childhood sexual abuse in Israel: What happens after the report? J Child Sex Abus 2010;16(4):1-22.
Richter LM, Dawes ARL. Child abuse in South Africa: Rights and wrongs. Child Abus Rev 2008;17(2):79-93.
Morton GM, Oravecz LM. The mandatory reporting of abuse: Problem creation through problem solution? J Fem Fam Ther 2009;21(3):177-197.
Bryant J, Milsom A. Child abuse reporting by school counselors. Prof Sch Couns 2005;9(1):63-71.
Strode A, Slack C. Sex, lies and disclosures: Researchers and the reporting of under- age sex. S Afr J HIV Med 2009;2:8-10.
Essack Z, Toohey J, Strode A. Reflecting on adolescents’ evolving sexual and reproductive health rights: Canvassing the opinion of social workers in KwaZulu- Natal, South Africa. Reprod Health Matters 2016;24:195-204.
Essack Z, Strode A. The mandatory reporting of consensual, under-age sex: Knowledge, practices and perspectives of social workers in KwaZulu Natal. S Afr J Bioethics Law 2015;8(2):21-25.
South Africa. Children’s Act No. 38 of 2005.
South Africa. Basic Conditions of Employment Act No. 75 of 1997.
South Africa. Mental Health Care Act No. 17 of 2002.
South Africa. The Older Persons Act No. 13 of 2006.
South Africa. Drugs and Drug Trafficking Act No. 140 of 1982.
South Africa. Sexual Offences and Related Matters Act No. 32 of 2007.
South Africa. Domestic Violence Amendment Act No. 14 of 2021.
Department of Health, South Africa. Ethics in Health Research: Principles, Processes
and Structures. 2015. Retrieved from https://www.ru.ac.za/media/rhodesuniversity/ content/ethics/documents/nationalguidelines/DOH_(2015)_Ethics_in_health_ research_Principles,_processes_and_structures.pdf (accessed 26 September 2022).
McQuoid-MasonD.MandatoryreportingofsexualabuseundertheSexualOffences Act and the ‘best interests of the child’. S Afr J Bioethics Law 2011;4(2):74-78.
South Africa. Prevention and Combating of Corrupt Activities Act No. 12 of 2004.
Hendricks ML. Mandatory reporting of child abuse in South Africa: Legislation
explored S Afr Med J 2014;104(8):550-552.
StrodeAE,SinghPP,SlackCM,WassenaarDR.ResearchEthicsCommitteesinatight
spot: Approving consent strategies for child research that are prima facie illegal but
are ethical in terms of national guidelines. S Afr Med J 2018;108(10):828-832.
Remley TP, Fry LJ. Reporting suspected child abuse: Conflicting roles for the
counselor. School Counselor 1993;40(4):253-259.
KosbergJI,RouseJ.AdultprotectiveservicesforabusedagedinTexas:Programand
research implications. J Health Hum Resour Adm 1990;12(4):484-498.
Hutchison ED. Mandatory reporting laws: Child protective case finding gone awry?
Soc Work 1993;38(1):56-63.
Kalichman SC, Brosig CL. Practicing psychologists’ interpretations of and compliance with child abuse reporting laws. Law Hum Behav 1993;17(1):83-93.
Lewis-O’ConnorA.Policyperspectives:Dyingtotell?AmJNurs2004;104(10):75-79.
García-Moreno C. Dilemmas and opportunities for an appropriate health-service response to violence against women. Lancet 2002(359):1509-1514.
South Africa. National Health Act No. 61 of 2003.