Findings from the Shukumisa Campaign conducted during the 16

Days of Activism 2010

The National Working Group on Sexual Offences is a network of 26 South African civil society organisations formed in 2003 to ensure that effective and appropriate laws around sexual offences were passed. The purpose of the group’s Shukumisa Campaign is to monitor the implementation of laws and policies relevant to sexual offences and hold service providers to account for ineffective implementation.

What was monitored and where?Gauteng, Western Cape, Limpopo andKwaZulu-Natal Convenience sample of:• 70 police stations• 11 hospitals • 31 courtsVia observation and short, structured interviews,

monitors evaluated the facilities according to criteria based on the Sexual Offences Act and related national policies using a standard checklist

SAPS70 stations in totalGauteng (21)Western Cape (27)Limpopo (16)KwaZulu-Natal (6)

11% refusal rate, which meant some of the stations could only be observed

SAPS Physical AccessibilityWhether the building was:– easy to identify as a police station, had

clear signs and directional markers and displayed the South African flag

– disability access– close to public transport routes

• 84% of stations were well-marked• 90% had physical disability access• 94% of stations were close to public

transport

SAPS DocumentationAccording to the National Instruction

3/2008, the following documents should be readily available at all stations:– The Sexual Offences Act– The National Instructions 3/2008– The station orders around sexual offences– The regulations and forms related to the

Sexual Offences Act (forms for the HIV testing of the rape accused and information sheets for rape survivors about PEP and HIV testing)

– Information about hospitals providing PEP to rape survivors;

– A list of organisations providing services to rape survivors

SAPS Documentation32% of stations could produce all of the

documentation– 57% of stations had a copy of the SOA– 51% had copies of the regulations and forms

related to the SOA– 56% had a copy of the National Instructions

3/2008– 49% were able to produce the station orders

around sexual offences– 54% had a list of organisations providing

services to rape survivors– 61% had a list of hospitals providing PEP to

rape survivors

SAPS Specialised Services61 stations were monitored to

determine:–their access to specialist

detective services–a separate Victim Support

Centre to ensure privacy, safety and comfort–NGOs, CBOs or volunteers

available to provide support

SAPS Specialised Services• 63% of stations had access to

specialist detectives if not the victim would be referred elsewhere

• 60% of stations had a separate building operating as a VSC but others contained VECs housed within the main station building

• 90% of stations had NGOs, CBOs or volunteers available to support victims

SAPS Specialised Services

The campaign also monitored the facilities available to deaf, LGBTI and mentally disabled victims

• Across all four provinces, there was a clear lack of understanding with regards to the special needs of these marginalised groups

• For deaf victims, it appeared that the police did not have access to interpreters

SAPS ConclusionsPolice stations, the first place a rape victim will turn to for help, are generally well marked and

easy to access and are supported by local NGOs but services are

not standard across all the stations monitored and most have a major problem with access to information and

documentation

Courts

31 courts monitored • Gauteng (8)• Western Cape (8)• Limpopo (13) • KwaZulu-Natal (2)

Only two courts denied access and at a third full monitoring was not possible as a prosecutor was not available to assist the monitor

Courts Physical Accessibility• 71% of the courts were well-

marked• 45% of the courts had clear

direction markers or signage• 84% had access for people with

physical disabilities• 81% of courts were easily

accessible by public transport

Court Services and Facilities

Victims’ privacy and the specific needs of rape victims:–61% of courts had witness waiting

rooms–78% courts had CCTV facilities–48% courts had a room for NGO use–59% courts had court preparation

officersCourts tended to cater more for children than adults

Court Specialisation

• 11 of the 27 courts monitored were specialist Sexual Offences Courts

• On average only two specialist sexual offences prosecutors were based at these courts

• 19 courts had access to Intermediary services

Courts ConclusionsThe court facilities are adequate in most cases except Limpopo, where it appears that courts are slightly under-resourced.

A major area of concern with regards to the courts is the lack of sexual offences

prosecutors; only 48% of courts monitored have access to these

specialised prosecutors.

Health Facilities

11 health facilitiesGauteng (5) Western Cape (6)

The National Management Guidelines for Sexual Assault released by the Department of Health in 2005 suggest that each facility should have a rape management protocol in place

Health Facilities Services

• 10 provided PEP to survivors (the other referred survivors on to another facility)

• All had access to psychosocial support and referral networks

• 3 Western Cape facilities conducted compulsory testing of the perpetrator

Health Facilities ConclusionThe health facilities monitored appear to be providing both the healthcare and psychosocial support that a rape victim requires.

3 facilities provided PEP to victims as well as HIV testing of alleged rapists which means that a victim could potentially be present at the same hospital as the perpetrator.

Conclusions

Monitoring finds a lack of standardised services for survivors and access to

specialised services is not available to every victim.

In 2011 there is still much room for improvement on the infrastructure required for services that should be

available to all rape victims

Legislation Gap Analysis Research

Consisting of the results of:•A desktop review of legislation•Individual expert interviews with victim empowerment stakeholders•Expert discussions and•A paper on Intersectoral Collaboration•A social media campaign

Five gaps where potential legislative reform is possible were revealed as follows:1. A lack of information about the criminal justice

system and victims’ rights2. A lack of information about the victim of crime’s

specific case3. A lack of psychosocial support for victims of crime4. A lack of accountability within the system5. A lack of intersectoral collaboration resulting in

lack of coordination between services

Kathleen DeyDirector

Rape Crisis Cape Town Trustkath@rapecrisis.org.za

on behalf of the Shukumisa Campaign