This research study explores the experiences of adolescent girls testifying in a criminal court in cases of sexual abuse and rape in South Africa. Private and public narratives, such as the participants’ experiences in court, the court support system and the court process, were reported using conversations, collages and written letters. These were interpreted from a narrative perspective, within a social constructionist paradigm. Social constructionism posits that all behaviour is understood within a social context and people create their reality and world through social interaction, which in this study is the legal system. Narratives are constructions of the experiences of the participants during the preparation and testifying process. Their stories reflect both positive and ambivalent experiences, such as fear and relief, joy and sadness. The most noteworthy findings of the research were the following: • Support from court personnel and NGOs is important for adolescents when they are testifying. • The friendly environment and activities of the NGO contrasts favourably with the cold and adult environment of the court in which the NGO is based. • The court preparation programme is essential to help adolescents cope when testifying in a criminal court through addressing fears such as seeing the accused in court, not understanding the proceedings, and having to address adults in court. • The National Prosecuting Authority seems to be taking child witnesses more seriously through collaboration with outside organisations. / Dissertation (MA (Counselling Psychology))--University of Pretoria, 2008. / Psychology / unrestricted

People with disabilities are at high risk of becoming victims of crimes. Those individuals with little or no functional speech (LNFS) are even more at risk of being victims of crime. One way of reducing the risk of being a victim of crime is facing the alleged perpetrator in court as a witness; therefore it is important for people with LNFS who have been victims of crimes to have the relevant vocabulary needed to testify in court. The aim of this study was to identify and describe the legal core vocabulary required by illiterate victims of crime, who have little or no functional speech, to testify in court as witness/witnesses. A mixed method, exploratory sequential design consisting of two different phases was used to address the aim of the research. The first phase was qualitative and included two different data sources, namely in-depth semi-structured interviews (n=3) and focus groups (n=22). The overall aim of this phase was to develop a measurement instrument. Results from Phase 1 were used in Phase 2, the quantitative phase, in which the measurement instrument (a custom designed questionnaire) was socially validated by 31 participants. The results produced six distinct categories which represented the core legal vocabulary and 99 words that represented the fringe legal vocabulary. The findings suggested that each communication board should be individualized to the individual and the specific crime. Recommendations were made to develop an AAC Resource Tool Kit to assist professionals involved with a person with LNFS who had been a victim of crime. / Dissertation (MA)--University of Pretoria, 2014. / tm2015 / Centre for Augmentative and Alternative Communication (CAAC) / MA / Unrestricted

This thesis addresses the lack of scholarly attention devoted to African American Sunni women by examining how they use collective memory to negotiate embodied agency. Through an analysis of African American Sunni women’s narratives of testifying conversion, and vignettes from diaries and interviews, I show how African American Sunni women utilize racial, religious, and spiritual memory in the form of ritual practices and Islamic texts to multiply construct their bodies, and how this construction allows them to enact multimodal and nomadic forms of agency. A contextual analysis also illustrates how environment and interpretation (tafsir) further mobilizes forms of agency, articulating a need for flexibility in regard to the concept of embodied agency and challenging the dichotomy prevalent in Western and Eurocentric conceptions of liberatory agency.

Les enfants victimes d’agression sexuelle sont susceptibles de présenter un large éventail de difficultés d'adaptation (ex. : dépression, anxiété, ÉSPT). En plus des conséquences associées à la victimisation sexuelle, certains enfants et leurs familles doivent faire face à des procédures judiciaires à la suite du dévoilement de l'enfant. L’influence de l’implication judiciaire incluant le témoignage devant un tribunal et le fait de devoir relater des évènements potentiellement traumatisants, tel qu’une agression sexuelle soulève des questionnements chez les intervenants et les chercheurs œuvrant auprès des jeunes victimes d’agression sexuelle. Toutefois, il existe peu d’étude sur l’implication judiciaire des enfants victimes d’agression sexuelle (Jodi A. Quas et al., 2005). L’objectif principal du présent mémoire est d’évaluer l'influence de l’implication judiciaire des enfants victimes d’agression sexuelle sur leur santé mentale et leur rétablissement. Dans la présente étude longitudinale, l’influence du témoignage a été examinée chez un échantillon de 344 enfants (à l’évaluation initiale) recevant des services thérapeutiques dans un centre d’appui aux enfants (CAE), parmi eux, 130 enfants ont témoigné lors de procédures judiciaires. L'âge des participants variait de 6 à 14 ans (m = 9,42 é.t. = 2,14). Les enfants et leurs parents ont complété une série de mesures pour évaluer la santé mentale de l'enfant (ex. : dépression, anxiété, ÉSPT) à quatre moments dans leur trajectoire de service (à l’évaluation initiale, après les services au CAE, 1 an après l’évaluation initiale et 2 ans après l’évaluation initiale). Les analyses multiniveaux indiquent que tous les enfants, indépendamment de leur implication judiciaire, présentent des améliorations significatives avec les services thérapeutiques. Toutefois, le groupe qui a témoigné à plusieurs reprises présente des niveaux plus élevés de détresse émotionnelle 2 ans après l’évaluation initiale. Cette étude souligne l'importance de documenter l'expérience des victimes d’agression sexuelle dans le système de justice afin d'établir les conditions adéquates pour soutenir les enfants témoins. / Victims of child sexual abuse are likely to show a wide range of adaptation difficulties (e.g.: depression, anxiety, PTSD). In addition, some children and their families are involved in legal proceedings following the child’s disclosure. Children testifying in court and having to report traumatic events such as sexual abuse raise questions amongst professionals and researchers. However, little is known about the legal involvement of child sexual abuse victims (Jodi A. Quas et al., 2005). The main objective of this study is to examine the influence of legal involvement on the mental health and the recovery process of child sexual abuse victims. In the present longitudinal study, the effects of testifying were examined in a sample of 344 children (67% of girls) receiving therapeutic services in a Child Advocacy Centre (CAC), of which 130 children testified. The participants’ age ranged from 6 to 14 years old (m= 9.42 s. d.= 2.14). Children and their parents completed a series of measures to evaluate the child’s mental health (e.g. depression, anxiety, PTSD) at four points in time (at initial assessment, at the end of CAC services, 1 year after the initial assessment and 2 years after the initial assessment). Multilevel analysis indicates that all the children, independently of their legal involvement, showed significant improvement with the therapeutic services. However, the group who testified more than once shows higher levels of emotional distress 2 years after the initial assessment. This study highlights the importance of documenting the experience of CSA victims in the justice system in order to establish the adequate conditions to support child witnesses.

Encore à ce jour, l’idée de faire témoigner des enfants et adolescents à la Cour continue de faire couler beaucoup d’encre. L’état des connaissances au sujet des conséquences associées à l’implication judiciaire demeure fragmentaire. Les experts ne s’entendent pas. Certains estiment que le témoignage a la possibilité d’exacerber la détresse psychologique des jeunes, alors que d’autres considèrent le témoignage comme une possible expérience de réparation. Puisqu’il arrive des situations où certains enfants et adolescents sont dans l’obligation de témoigner, il importe de se pencher sur la meilleure manière de les accommoder. Peu d’auteurs ont documenté l’impact du témoignage sur la santé psychologique des témoins mineurs. Encore moins d’auteurs ont cherché à identifier les circonstances dans lesquelles les conséquences négatives liées au témoignage seraient amoindries. Sachant que l’expérience du témoignage comporte plusieurs défis pour les enfants, des programmes de préparation au témoignage, comme celui du Programme Enfant Témoin (PET) au Québec, ont été développés en Amérique du Nord. Dans l’idée de bien accompagner les jeunes et d’adapter ces programmes de préparation à leurs besoins, les craintes de ces derniers s’avèrent être une donnée essentielle. Ainsi, ce mémoire a pour objectif d’évaluer la nature des craintes des témoins mineurs et leur évolution en cours d’intervention, alors qu’ils bénéficient des services d’un programme de préparation à la Cour. Dans un premier temps, à l’aide d’un devis pré-expérimental, cette recherche documente les caractéristiques sociodémographiques d’enfants et adolescents référés au PET de même que leur expérience judiciaire. La nature et l’évolution du niveau de craintes sont ensuite comparées au début et à la fin de l’intervention. Finalement, les facteurs associés à la présence de craintes au moment du témoignage sont explorés. L’échantillon est constitué de 54 enfants et adolescents victimes d’acte criminels âgés entre 6 et 18 ans référés au programme de préparation PET (M = 12,91 ; É-T = 3,19). De ces 54 participants, 46 se sont présentés à la Cour et de ces 46 participants, 23 ont livré un témoignage. Chez les participants qui ont complété le questionnaire Mes craintes à l’idée d’aller témoigner avant et après l’intervention (n = 20), les résultats indiquent une diminution statistiquement significative du niveau de craintes après l’intervention. Deux variables ont été identifiées comme étant associées à la présence de craintes au matin du témoignage : 1) le score global de craintes obtenu avant l’intervention et 2) le fait que les enfants et adolescents bénéficient de services psychosociaux ou thérapeutiques au début du PET. Le présent mémoire contribue à documenter la réalité des enfants et adolescents qui ont à témoigner à la Cour du Québec, à mettre en lumière leurs craintes et à étudier le type d’apport d’un programme de préparation au témoignage. / Having children and youth to testify in court has been the subject of many discussions, but to this day, the scientific knowledge on the impacts of legal involvement remains fragmentary. There is no consensus among the scientific literature. Some believe that testifying has the potential to exacerbate the psychological distress of youth victims, while others view testifying as a possible restorative experience. Since there are situations where children and youth are required to testify, it is important to consider how best to accommodate them. Few authors have documented the impacts of legal procedures on the mental health of child and youth witnesses. Even fewer authors sought to identify the circumstances under which the adverse effects associated with testifying would be diminished. Since the experience of testifying presents many challenges for child and youth witnesses, court preparation programs such as the Programme Enfant Témoin (PET) have been developed in North America. Yet, to better support child and youth victims of violence and adapt these court preparation programs to their needs, examining their fears regarding court proceedings is a necessary exercise. Thus, the main objective of this Master’s thesis is to assess the nature of child and youth witnesses’ fears while they benefit from a court preparation program. First, using a pre-experimental model, this research assesses the sociodemographic characteristics of children and youth referred to the PET along with their experience with the justice system. The nature of the participants’ fears, as well as the evolution of their fear level throughout the program are then compared at two points in time. Finally, factors associated with the presence of fears at the time of testimony are explored. The sample consists of 54 child and youth victims of crime aged from 6 to 18 years old (M = 12.91 ; SD = 3.19). Of these 54 participants, 46 had to go to court and from these 46 participants, 23 took the stand. Among the participants who completed the questionnaire Mes craintes à l’idée d’aller témoigner at the beginning and end of the program (n = 20), the results indicate a statistically significant decrease in fear levels at the end of the program. Two variables were identified as partially predictive of having fears on the morning of the testimony : 1) the overall fear score obtained at the beginning of the program and 2) the fact that children and youth benefit from psychological or therapeutic services at the beginning of the PET. The results are discussion in relation to the reality of children and youth who have to testify in the Court of Québec, to highlight their fears and to appraise the contribution of court preparation programs.