Shukumisa reports
Baroness Stern was invited by the Government Equalities Office and the Home Office to carry out this independent review into the treatment of rape complaints by public authorities.
"I have often voiced concern that we have failed to understand what a caring society should be doing to respond to those harmed by crime. This review has allowed me to study at first hand how victims of rape are treated and to recommend how we can do better. It has been an extraordinary experience. In the course of collecting evidence I have met many people with an important story to tell. Sadly I have met some whose treatment by the authorities was appalling. Rather than prescribe in detail, we have suggested what is the right approach for public authorities to take, individually and as part of a wider response of the community to this particularly invasive and traumatic crime."
This study highlighted the need for standardised clinical management guidelines for sexual assault service delivery. Results indicated that there was significant provincial variability in sexual assault service delivery. Providers’ attitudes towards sexual assault as well as the availability of a protocol in the facility differed significantly between provinces. The provider’s awareness of the presence of a protocol in the facility was significantly associated with higher quality of care. There is no one province that was found to be better in all areas of sexual assault services when considering all aspects explored in this study.
Report to Parliament: Key Issues Identified by Communities Visited by the Bus
This report acts as a conduit for the various voices and stories of the people that the bus campaign interacted with to reach the ears and minds of the members of Parliament. As such, it is a reflection of the thoughts, opinions, attitudes and expressions that the bus campaign came across in its journey across South Africa.
In the aftermath of a sexual assault, survivors may require treatment for a range of health-related concerns such as pregnancy, possible infection with HIV and other sexually transmitted infections (STI), injuries, as well as symptoms of psychological distress. If a charge has been laid, then a medico-legal examination to collect forensic evidence will also be necessary.
This study was conducted in three districts in the Eastern Cape and KwaZulu Natal Provinces – spanning geographical areas: rural, urban and city. It was a cross-sectional with a two stage random sample. The sample was drawn by Statistics South Africa. Following a cluster design, 222 enumeration areas were selected and 20 households approached per ea for interview. One man aged 18-49 years interviewed per household. Interviews followed a questionnaire and were administered via APDAs (Audio-enhanced Personal Digital Assistants).
This study was undertaken in Gauteng Province where, in 2003, a total of 11 926 rapes were reported at the 128 police stations in Gauteng Province. A sample was drawn for the study using a two stage procedure. The
first stage drew a sample of 70 police stations using probability proportional to size, where size was based on the number of rape cases reported to the police in 2003.
The devastating consequences of rape have galvanised policy-makers to
provide services intended to ameliorate rape’s after-effects, as well as promote women’s access to justice. Yet the implementation of these various interventions has more often been the subject of critical scrutiny than acclaim.
This Act addresses the archaic law on sexual offences that existed prior to this law coming into effect. Amongst other critical things, it repeals the common law offence of rape and replaces it with a new expanded statutory offence of rape, applicable to all forms of sexual penetration without consent, irrespective of gender. This simply means that a woman, a man (or a child) can now be raped by another woman or man.
