The aim of this study was to do group work with 10 girls staying in a shelter in order to contribute to their adjustment. Lewin's field theory and the General Systems Theory were utilized to ground the group work. The epistemological framework of the study was exploratory and involved an in depth analysis of the group experiences of the participants. Unstructured interviews were also conducted with the participants. Hermeneutics as a method of analysis was applied to analyse data. The following themes captured the experiences of the girls: trust versus mistrust, connection and disconnection, alienation and isolation, emotionally overwhelmed versus security, being labeled/stigmatized, security versus insecurity, and hope versus hopelessness. This study provides a better understanding of the life worlds of girls staying in a shelter. It could also contribute to a greater awareness of the experiences of abused girls who stay in a shelter. / Psychology / M.A. (Clinical Psychology)

No description available.

This study outlines the results of an evaluation of programmes through a developmental quality assurance process within shelters for abused women and their children in Gauteng Province. The survey obtained the attitudes and opinions of the social workers/social auxiliary workers and shelter managers towards their services. The study reflects empirical findings as well as strengths and developmental areas within these shelters. The results from the study indicate that shelters for abused women and their children are functioning well. However, the Minimum Standards for Shelters are not fully adhered to. Therefore, internal and external evaluations should be used by shelter managers to evaluate their own performance and to improve service delivery. / Social Work / MA(SS) (Social Work)

This study outlines the results of an evaluation of programmes through a developmental quality assurance process within shelters for abused women and their children in Gauteng Province. The survey obtained the attitudes and opinions of the social workers/social auxiliary workers and shelter managers towards their services. The study reflects empirical findings as well as strengths and developmental areas within these shelters. The results from the study indicate that shelters for abused women and their children are functioning well. However, the Minimum Standards for Shelters are not fully adhered to. Therefore, internal and external evaluations should be used by shelter managers to evaluate their own performance and to improve service delivery. / Social Work / MA(SS) (Social Work)

This study investigates the relationship between human security, gender, and the activities of the Saartjie Baartman Centre for Women and Children, an NGO serving women who have experienced gender-based violence. Gender-based violence is studied within the specific context of South Africa, with special attention given to the history, culture and socio-economic conditions. The study uses the concepts of human security and gender to construct a framework for examining gender-based violence. This theoretical approach fosters interdisciplinary collaboration and includes marginalised populations. This is a qualitative case study comprising of in-depth interviews with both clients and staff at the Saartjie Baartman Centre in Cape Town and it provides rich detail of personal experiences of both clients and employees of the centre. The themes of organisational challenges, socio-economic, and cultural issues are discussed and analysed. The intention of the study is to bring attention to the issue of gender violence in South Africa, investigate the occurrence of this violence in Manenberg, and put forth recommendations to further the fight against it. This will be done through an exploration of the activities of the Saartjie Baartman Centre and the implications of these activities. The study concludes that given the existing statistics of gender-based violence continually rising, current efforts are either not working or not having a large enough impact. Therefore, something different needs to be done in order for sustainable change to take place. / M. Dev. Studies. University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban 2013.

Bibliography: leaves [20-31] / 316, [31] leaves : ill ; 30 cm. / Title page, contents and abstract only. The complete thesis in print form is available from the University Library. / Thesis (Ph.D.)--University of Adelaide, Dept. of History, 1991

Violence against women is a global phenomenon and it has over the past three decades occupied a central position in international discourse. Despite the extensive literature, little has been documented about the social support services offered to the abused women in shelters. A qualitative research approach was employed in this study to explore, describe, and contextualise the experiences and challenges of social workers in the social support services rendered to abused women in shelters. The participants were selected using purposive sampling, and semi-structured interviews were conducted with social workers involved in rendering services to abused women in shelters in Gauteng. Ethical issues were taken into consideration. Data were analysed using Tesch’s eight steps (in Creswell, 2009) and verified using Guba and Lincoln’s model (in Krefting, 2003) to test the trustworthiness of the data. The key findings of the study highlight the important role that social workers who provide social services to abused women in shelters play in the process of empowerment and protection of these women, who benefit from the social support service programmes that the shelters render on a daily basis. These findings also reveal that due to limited resources, the social workers cannot provide these social support services effectively without assistance. This study also reflects the need for a multidisciplinary approach, and emphasises the need for other stakeholders such as the SAPS, Health, Home Affairs, Department of Social Development, and the embassies of foreign countries to play a more significant role within the sheltering services in order to provide a comprehensive service to abused women. It is clear that social workers have limited professional support and experience many challenges in rendering social services. / Social Work / M.S.W. (Social Work)

Emotional abuse is a problem experienced worldwide, crossing all economic, educational, social and ethnic segments of all societies. Overtime, many empirical researchers concentrated on studying the occurrence and impact of physical abuse on women but neglected to study the effects of emotional abuse on the woman's physical and mental health. But with time, researchers began to realise that emotional abuse also had a great impact on the lives of women. Therefore, a detailed exploration of emotional abuse between intimate adult partners has only recently emerged in the literature. Though it is difficult to separate emotional abuse from other forms of abuse, many women in our research who were provided with a definition of emotional abuse identified and confirmed that they have been emotionally abused in their past or are being abused in their current intimate relationships. This research project focused mainly on women who suffered and have survived the wounds of emotional abuse in intimate relationships. Group work is aimed at the growth and development of the individual. This study reports on an in-depth analysis of the arrangements and formulation of the structure of support groups, and the effectiveness of the functioning of these groups. Participants who joined the support groups in this research, were women who have undergone therapeutic intervention and are/or were engaged in a healing process that involved reintegration, implementation and maintenance of therapeutic goals. Support groups do provide a place where people can share their experiences in a safe environment, and where they can symbolise their experiences and consequently make them more acceptable to the self. It has been concluded in this research that support groups were effective in giving members the opportunity of helping each other to heal from the wounds of emotional abuse by being supportive, giving feedback, making helpful suggestions and providing useful information necessary for their growth and development. Therefore, participants who joined the support groups agreed that they have benefited by receiving the encouragement and support from one another, which contributed towards their process of healing emotionally, and in turn, caused them to change from being helpless victims to survivors of emotional abuse. / Sociology / D. Phil (Sociology)

This research was initiated, based on the recommendations of Groenewald (2006:126-127), in the Evaluation of Programmes of Shelters for Victims of Abuse in Gauteng Province, to develop a shelter service delivery model. The research is exploratory in nature and outlines the literature review, methodologies, tested shelter model and findings based on the experiences of stakeholders. These stakeholders are responsible for the registration and management of shelters for victims of abuse in South Africa. They include nine Provincial Victim Empowerment Programme Co-ordinators and thirty-two shelter managers. The main objectives for shelter managers and Government Departments, such as Social Development, are to provide care, support and protection. The aim is also to empower those who were caught up in relationships, fraught with gender-based violence, as well as to break the cycle of violence. This is presented in the guidelines for a shelter service delivery model for victims of abuse. The shelter model focuses on three phases: o Intake procedures o Programmes and services o Exit strategy These three phases address both psycho-social issues and the self care of service providers. The main purpose of the shelter model is to provide social service providers with a structural format for intervention with victims of abuse and their significant others. The outcome, for most of them, should be to come to terms with themselves and create a personal vision for the future without abuse or, alternatively, to take a firm stand against such actions. The model is based on a person-centered approach in order to assist victims of violence, within a development model, to attain effective living. Other findings of the research are, among others, that there is neither legislation, nor registration procedures for shelters for victims of abuse in place, except for Non-Profit Organisations, which is voluntary. It is recommended that Government should consider the amendment of the Domestic Violence Act, 116 of 1998. These amendments should include accreditation of service providers, registration requirements, norms, standards and uniform funding criteria. / Social Work / D. Phil. (Social Work)

Emotional abuse is a problem experienced worldwide, crossing all economic, educational, social and ethnic segments of all societies. Overtime, many empirical researchers concentrated on studying the occurrence and impact of physical abuse on women but neglected to study the effects of emotional abuse on the woman's physical and mental health. But with time, researchers began to realise that emotional abuse also had a great impact on the lives of women. Therefore, a detailed exploration of emotional abuse between intimate adult partners has only recently emerged in the literature. Though it is difficult to separate emotional abuse from other forms of abuse, many women in our research who were provided with a definition of emotional abuse identified and confirmed that they have been emotionally abused in their past or are being abused in their current intimate relationships. This research project focused mainly on women who suffered and have survived the wounds of emotional abuse in intimate relationships. Group work is aimed at the growth and development of the individual. This study reports on an in-depth analysis of the arrangements and formulation of the structure of support groups, and the effectiveness of the functioning of these groups. Participants who joined the support groups in this research, were women who have undergone therapeutic intervention and are/or were engaged in a healing process that involved reintegration, implementation and maintenance of therapeutic goals. Support groups do provide a place where people can share their experiences in a safe environment, and where they can symbolise their experiences and consequently make them more acceptable to the self. It has been concluded in this research that support groups were effective in giving members the opportunity of helping each other to heal from the wounds of emotional abuse by being supportive, giving feedback, making helpful suggestions and providing useful information necessary for their growth and development. Therefore, participants who joined the support groups agreed that they have benefited by receiving the encouragement and support from one another, which contributed towards their process of healing emotionally, and in turn, caused them to change from being helpless victims to survivors of emotional abuse. / Sociology / D. Phil (Sociology)