This minor dissertation examines the status quo of services provision by community based victim support services for male victims of sexual violence in South Africa. Given the scale of gender-based violence in South Africa it comes as no surprise that research and debates around sexual violence have predominately focused on women as victims and men as perpetrators. In this minor dissertation the neglect of men as potential and actual victims of sexual violence are problematized. In the discussion I explore the issues at stake, assess the status of male victims and investigate the kinds of services available to sexually violated men in the country. The research methods utilised include the following: a review of the international and national academic literature regarding male sexual victimisation; a review of relevant legislation and policies in South Africa; a review of media coverage on male rape and male sexual victimisation; content analysis of community based service providers' web sites and interviews with service providers. Despite the tendency to use gender neutral language in some official discourses (legislation, policy documents or service providers' official presentations and communications) to stipulate that everyone can be a victim of sexual violence irrespective of gender, male victims remain hidden from view. The interviews, however, showed a sound acknowledgement within the service providers that male sexual violence is a problem in the country that has to be taken seriously and acted upon. Services are available to men, but the design, delivery of services and training of professionals working with male victims differ from organisation to organisation. The visibility of those services, however, remains a question. By way of conclusion a list of recommendations for more effective service delivery to male victims of sexual violence is provided, which highlight the need for more 1) advocacy and awareness raising, 2) more evidence-based research, 3) funding), 4) training of professionals working with survivors of sexual violence and 5) cooperation between stakeholders.

Includes bibliographical references (leaves 95-102).

Includes bibliographical references. / Women’s experiences of poverty in post-apartheid South Africa are made real in their struggles to access resources and assets to survive. They survive sudden shocks and entrenched poverty by constructing and drawing on social support networks that provide access to adequate housing, secure tenure and sufficient income to sustain households. The social support networks of households, families and communities are investigated in the adjacent but diverse townships of Manenberg and Guguletu - resettlement areas for those who were forcibly removed from the city centre of Cape Town. Theoretical perspectives on: the South African context of support; reciprocity; social networks; and the morality inherent in networks, fail to provide information of the complexities and nuances in the lives of the women. Women are required to negotiate gender roles and position in every relationship in order to be eligible for support. Discourses on how the South African city shaped reciprocity and gender identity within households and families provide insight into the context in which support is negotiated. Drawing on these sets of literature an analysis of life histories (constructed from a semi-structured, open ended questionnaire) is conducted of fifteen women from each township that document their struggles, frustrations, joys and aspirations. The evidence from the case studies suggests that women's experiences of poverty are actualised in their marginalisation from adequate housing, secure tenure and sustainable livelihoods. Moreover, the mechanisms they employ to bridge these challenges, their support networks, further entrenches gender inequalities and the inferior position of women in society. A detailed analysis of their relationships reveals that in order to access support women sublimate their challenges of traditional gender identities in order conform to normative behaviour and access resources and assets required for survival. A comparison of the configuration, utilisation and value of strategic relationships within women's households, families and communities demonstrates their agency. The women interact with their context, making strategic decisions and choices that influence not only the social fabric of their communities but also their own identity.

Sexual violence perpetrated during armed conflict is a notoriously prolific, yet oft neglected phenomenon. It used to merely be considered an inevitable by-product of war, yet recently sexual violence has come to be described as a 'weapon of war'. This refers to the deliberate and tactical intentions of the perpetrators, and alludes to the fact that sexual violence has been and continues to be an inherent aspect of conflicts. Fortunately, with increased global attention on this issue, there have been numerous developments in international humanitarian law as well as the field of criminal justice, which serve to recognise and condemn the prevalence of wartime sexual violence. That is, rape and other forms of sexual violence have been categorised as international crimes falling within the jurisdiction of international criminal tribunals and courts dealing with conflict situations. Furthermore, there have been several convictions of persons indicted for such crimes. These advances must be applauded, yet there remains a troubling omission: the provision of reparations to the victims of wartime sexual violence. Though the international tribunals and courts are statutorily empowered to award such reparations, there seems to be lapse in this regard. This is critically problematic considering the many harmful consequences of conflict-related sexual violence, namely: physical and medical issues, emotional and psychological issues, social exclusion and stigmatisation, as well as resultant monetary issues. Without a concomitant award of reparations attached to the conviction of a perpetrator of wartime sexual violence, victims are not able to experience true justice. The focus of this paper therefore rests on the challenges of the official court system - specifically that of the ICC - in providing reparations to victims of conflict-related sexual violence. With these in mind, it is recommended that a separate forum be created to deal exclusively with the provision of reparations.

Includes bibliographical references (p. 94-104). / The HIV epidemic in South Africa is among the worst in the world with an estimated 5.7 million people living with HIV in 2007 (UNAIDS, 2008). South Africa's national education system has responded to the epidemic by introducing Life Skills HIV education across primary and secondary-level schools to promote HIV prevention, care and support among school learners. In particular, the Western Cape Education Department (WCED) has recommended that all teachers integrate HIV education across the curriculum. The Norms and Standards for Educators (NSE) policy document states that each pre-service teacher (PST) must meet 'community, citizenship and pastoral' practitioner roles; these roles entail student counselling, awareness and knowledge of issues impacting the community and corresponding support services, and promotion of HIV awareness in the school curriculum. HIV/AIDS education literature indicates that PST responses to teacher roles and responsibilities vary, and are often greatly influenced by the experiences PSTs bring with them into the teacher-training programme. This dissertation aimed to explore factors that shape PST identities in response to their HIV/AIDS teaching roles and responsibilities as outlined by the NSE policy document and the WCED. Research was conducted with a cohort of PSTs who attended the Post Graduate Certificate teachertraining programme at the University of Cape Town in 2007. A combination of qualitative and quantitative methods was used with a sample group of 81 PSTs. In total, 50 PSTs were surveyed and 19 PSTs were involved in 3 focus group discussions and 15 in-depth interviews. Findings from this study indicate that PSTs bring an array of their own experience, knowledge and perceptions to the teacher-training programme which ultimately shape and contribute to the teacher identity they create in responding to HIV/AIDS teaching roles and responsibilities. Based on evidence from the study, this thesis argues that the PST's experience, knowledge and perceptions of HIV I AIDS should be considered when developing teacher-training programmes in order to promote a comprehensive and effective response to HIV through the education sector in South Africa.

Objective: To determine how prevalent the illegal trade in cigarettes is in Mowbray, whether buyers thereof are aware of the illegal nature of their purchases, and whether they would transition to buying legal products if they became aware of the illegal nature of their purchases. Methods: Observations of stores throughout Mowbray were used to determine which stores sold illegal cigarettes, using price of packs of cigarettes as a determinant for illegality. Surveys were conducted using smokers in Mowbray as subjects in order to understand preferences of these subjects in terms of which products they bought and at which type of store they bought from. An interview was conducted with a Brigadier of the Directorate for Priority Crimes in order to understand how illegal cigarettes are policed in the country. Results: The research shows that cigarettes in Mowbray are very accessible and popular amongst consumers. It further demonstrates that most consumers of illegal products are aware of the illegal nature of their purchases and would not transition to legal products if it meant paying higher prices. Conclusions: The prevalence of illegal cigarettes is a result of the failure of state institutions to adequately address the issue. The popularity amongst consumers stems from the high availability of illegal cigarettes and the low prices thereof. Responses of state institutions tasked with addressing the illegal trade are essential in order to combat the trade.

Sexual violence is a pervasive problem in South Africa. Although we have pioneered a range of specialised post-rape structures and services over the last two decades, access to and availability of such services is varied, and the systems are plagued by inadequate training, weak intersectoral collaboration and a lack of resources, which result in significant provincial discrepancies (Jewkes et al., 2009; Machisa et al., 2017; Vetten et al., 2008). Evidence suggests that Sexual Assault Evidence Collection Kits (SAECKs) is one area that demands urgent attention. The current backlog in analysing SAECKs is estimated to be at over 100 000 DNA samples (Waterworth, 2020). As local research on SAECKs is limited both in quantity and scope, this study undertook a semi-systematic literature review of published articles that address rape kits and international best practices to identify evidence-based recommendations for SAECK policy and future research. From a total of 206 sources, 31 were eligible for inclusion in the review with all but one article presenting research conducted in the United States, predominantly focusing on the national rape kit backlogs. The literature shows that ineffective use of SAECKS in South Africa may not be the result of a lack of specialised services but rather the poor implementation of related policy. Recommendations for best practices must address these challenges while also accounting for the context-specific factors that may impact the uptake and implementation of rape kit policy, such as the availability of resources, accountability mechanisms and the prioritisation of sexual assault cases. The key recommendation argues for expanding and improving existing provisions in respect of SAECKs in South Africa and identifies realistic and strategic measures for addressing their ineffective use.

Tvångsvård av barn och unga är ett ämne som numera diskuteras flitigt, inte minst i media. Något som lyfts fram särskilt under den senaste tiden är delen som tar sikte på vårdens upphörande, vilket bl.a. har utmynnat i lagförslaget ”Lex Lilla hjärtat”. Dessutom har socialutskottet tillsatt en utredare som har i uppgift att se över hur barnets bästa kan stärkas i fråga om vårdens upphörande. Med andra ord är det ett mycket aktuellt ämne, och att presentera en uppsats som tar sikte på vårdnadshavares hemtagningsbegäranden kan därför sägas ligga rätt i tiden. När som helst under vårdtiden kan vårdnadshavare begära att vården enligt LVU ska upphöra. En sådan begäran kallas för hemtagningsbegäran. Vad som är anmärkningsvärt är att föräldrars obegränsade rätt att begära vårdens upphörande varken framgår av lagtext, eller av någon av våra mer auktoritativa rättskällor. Ordningen som följer av en hemtagningsbegäran är därför relativt outforskad, men det ska jag, till viss del, ändra på genom min uppsats. Syftet med min uppsats är således att, utifrån ett barnrätts-och de lege ferenda-perspektiv, titta närmre på det som idag kallas för hemtagningsbegäran. För att uppfylla mitt syfte har jag utarbetat ett antal frågeställningar som jag har besvarat utifrån material som jag inhämtat med hjälp av olika metoder. Med tanke på att ordningen beträffande hemtagningsbegäran inte finns behandlad i någon av våra traditionella rättskällor har jag varit tvungen att söka material utanför rättskällorna och således använda mig av fler metoder än den rättsdogmatiska metoden. Min uppsats består bl.a. av en empirisk del som består av intervjuer med rådmän, socialsekreterare och familjehemsföräldrar. Samtliga informanter är överens om att barn påverkas negativt av upprepade hemtagningsprocesser, och att det behöver ske en förändring vad gäller föräldrars rätt att begära vårdens upphörande. Uppsatsens övriga delar tar sikte på vård enligt LVU rent allmänt, principen om barnets bästa utifrån olika rättskällor och lagförslaget som lades fram år 2015 om att hemtagningsbegäran skulle lagregleras. Delar som alla varit nödvändiga för att det skulle vara möjligt för mig att besvara uppsatsens frågeställningar.  Genom min analys och slutsatser besvaras de frågeställningar som ställts upp i inledningen. Jag konstaterar att vårdnadshavares obegränsade rätt att begära vårdens upphörande inte ligger i linje med principen om barnets bästa och att ordningen beträffande hemtagningsbegäran bör lagregleras och begränsas, inte minst för barnens skull, men även för samhället i stort. Det kan anses konstaterat att placerade barn far illa av upprepade hemtagningsprocesser, och att både socialnämnder och de allmänna förvaltningsdomstolarna på regelbunden basis åläggs genomföra dessa processer mot bättre vetande kan inte anses vara rimligt ur resurssynpunkt. Mot bakgrund av detta bör vårdnadshavare enbart få begära vårdens upphörande en gång per år.

No description available.

The recent Cape Town drought and fear of a severe water crisis between 2015- 2018 was followed by a fast-tracked crisis management response. In line with a wider global trend, the City of Cape Town adopted a technology called ‘reverse osmosis desalination' into the water supply mix. This ‘water production' technology is alluring as it promises to be ‘drought- proof', preserving a constant flow of water in times of increased climatic uncertainty. Yet, the implementation of water technologies in Cape Town continues to be a highly debated topic. Cape Town suffers from a longstanding legacy of uneven racialized infrastructure development practices, resulting in unequal water access and consumption. In this context of unequal water security across social groups and increased climatic vulnerability, it is important to carefully consider the implications of new water technologies if the desired outcome is a more sustainable and equitable water future. Drawing on urban political ecology, this dissertation explores the process in which the instalment of three temporary desalination plants and planning for permanent desalination in Cape Town emerged. This, in order to carefully consider its consequences for equitable water security. By utilizing secondary official city documents, reports and news articles from several credible news platforms, supported by a number of personally conducted semistructured interviews and secondary sourced interviews with City employees, this thesis aims to understand how desalination is constituted as a crisis response. This exploration is organized around analyzing the relationships and dynamics between various actors, the events that signified the processual nature of the adoption and the emergent effects for water access across the City. The findings reveal that the promise that desalination holds as a technical solution to climatic uncertainty undermines the / contradictions that evolve alongside the instalments. While desalination was pushed by the municipality as a drought relief technology for all citizens, the results show that the emergence of this technology came with frictions, as it was contested, ecologically disturbed and critically questioned by multiple actors. As my findings demonstrate, desalination triggers the emergence of exclusive decision-making processes and financial constraints, especially for vulnerable citizens. This thesis thus argues that desalination implies to only secure water for some, while intensifying water insecurity for the already vulnerable. While the City strives towards a “shared water future”, the high focus on extending its water supply to meet growing demands lacks consideration of meeting existing demands, excluding the socio- political processes within current water decision making. This rather reinforces racialized- spatial and distributional inequities across a diverse range of social groups within the City.