Post-Rape Care and Justice in South Africa: Improving Support Services for Survivors of Sexual Violence.
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Date
2020-09-24
Authors
Lechlech, Lina
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Publisher
University of Oregon
Abstract
The purpose of this study is to explore and describe the current experience of sexual violence survivors in Sexual Offences Courts and Thuthuzela Care Centres in South Africa. While these two models were developed as a way to alleviate rates of sexual violence and encourage reporting, they have strayed from their original purpose, creating additional stressors for survivors wishing to access support services. Literature on this topic from the perspective of survivors is still scarce. This study aims at giving a voice to a community of women-identifying survivors of sexual violence who have accessed these services, in order to determine how they operate and to identify ways to improve service delivery. I posit that the current obstacles to a smoother service provision for SOCs and TCCs are multi-layered, ranging from their spatial implementation to poor training of specialized personnel, to post-apartheid deeper-rooted societal issues creating racial, gender and economic divides.
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Keywords
gender and justice, human rights, public health, sexual and gender-based violence, South Africa, specialized courts