Magister Artium (Social Work) - MA(SW) / This is an evaluative research study which was undertaken to establish whether the legal
reforms, through the establishment of the Special Sexual Offences Courts, have been
effective in reducing secondary traumatisation. In attempting to examine this crucial
area, I focused specifically on the perceptions of professionals who are involved in child
sexual abuse matters in the Special Sexual Offences Courts at Wynberg (Court G) and
Cape Town (Court 32).
The study employed qualitative research methodology, in the form of individual and
group interviews, structured questionnaires and participant observation, to collect data.
The respondents included magistrates, prosecutors, both victims support services coordinators
within the court system, social workers who work with child abuse matters,
Child Protection Unit investigating officers who investigate matters of this nature and
attorneys who have defended offenders of child sexual abuse.
The results indicate a marked disparity in physical appearance, location and an overall
sense of child-friendliness between the two Special Sexual Offences Courts; a need for
joint training of inter-disciplinary professionals, and a need for a more effective multidisciplinary
team approach to the problem of child sexual abuse. The findings also
indicate a need for regular contact between the professionals involved at the two Special
Courts to ensure uniformity in terms of service provision, and a need for the restructuring
of the job description of the co-ordinator.
The findings reported and discussed, suggest that the legal reforms promulgated are but
one aspect to the entire area of child protection. The overall success of these legal
reforms depends upon the involvement, commitment and development of a common
philosophy in child protection by, the medical, social, legal and police service systems.
It is hoped that this report will act as a catalyst to urgently address the shortcomings
which have been identified by the respondents, and that the recommendations reported
will contribute to measures which will result in the development and implementation of
effective child protective policies and practices.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:netd.ac.za/oai:union.ndltd.org:uwc/oai:etd.uwc.ac.za:11394/7352 |
| Date | January 2020 |
| Creators | Blankenberg, Cheryl Marion |
| Contributors | Bozalek, Vivienne |
| Publisher | University of Western Cape |
| Source Sets | South African National ETD Portal |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Rights | University of Western Cape |
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