Thesis (MPhil)--Stellenbosch University, 2003. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: Violence against women is a serious offence. Emotional and physical abuse can
happen to our daughters, sisters and wives. Rape is a form of violence against
women. It violates a woman's privacy, dignity and it makes her feel as if she has lost
control. The criminal justice system is there to protect the citizens of a country and
this protection should extend to women when they have been violated. The criminal
justice system has different structures, for example the courts, medical services and
police services. The staff of the criminal justice process do not have an inherent duty
to care about rape survivors but they can be trained to treat survivors with
consideration and sympathy to counteract the effects of the rape and secondary
victimization experienced by rape survivors. It is important that there are guidelines
for the staff of the criminal justice system to assist them in rape cases.
This thesis explores whether women experience secondary victimisation during
court proceedings. To assess whether it occurs, court transcripts were analysed with
a focus placed on the background of the court case and the verdicts of the judges.
Findings indicate that secondary victimisation do occur during court cases. Rape
survivors feel as if they are on trial and not the rapist. Survivors furthermore believe
that they will have to live with the label that they had been raped and humiliated.
The thesis recommends that officials of the criminal justice process should receive
extensive training, and looks at the Sexual Offences Court in Wynberg as an
example of an improved system for rape survivors. It is recommended that the
procedures of the Sexual Offences Court should be evaluated on a regular basis to
address secondary victimisation problems that may persist. Communication is very
important during the rape trial. The rape survivor has to be informed about her case
and about the location of the rapist at all times. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Geweld teen vroue is 'n ernstige oortreding wat plaasvind in ons samelewing.
Emosionele en fisiese geweld kan gebeur met ons dogters, vroue en susters.
Hierdie vorm van geweld laat vroue voel asof hulle beheer verloor oor hulle lewens
en dit het ook 'n impak op hul self respek en selfbeeld.
Die Kriminele Sisteem van Suid Afrika is daar om die belange van sy inwoners te
beskerm. Dit het verskillende afdelings byvoorbeeld, die mediese dienste, die polisie
en die hof verrigtinge. Die lede van die Kriminele Sisteem werk met verskillende
individue wat voel dat die hof die uitweg sal wees wat geregtigheid sal laat geskied.
Die lede van die Kriminele Sisteem het nie 'n persoonlike verantwoordelikheid
teenoor die verkragtings oorlewendes nie, maar hulle moet sensitiwiteit en empatie
betoon teenoor die dames wat verkrag was. Die gedrag van die personeel speel 'n
groot rol in terme van hoe die vrou wat verkrag was die aangeleentheid verwerk.
Die fokus van die studie is om te kyk of vroue wel sekondêre viktimisering ervaar
wanneer hulle besluit om voort te gaan met die hofsake. Hof transkripsies was
gebruik om te kyk of vroue wel benadeel word. Daar was gekyk na die uitsprake van
die regters sowel as die agtergrond van die hofsaak.
Daar was bevind dat sekondêre viktimisering wel plaasvind gedurende die hof
verrigtinge. Vroue voel asof hulle verantwoordelik is vir die verkragting wat met hulle
gebeur het. Die verkragter word nie gesien as die persoon wat oortree het nie.
Hierdie gevoelens van self blamering vorm deel van sekondêre viktimisering wat
veroorsaak dat vroue sommige kere voel om nie verder te gaan met die hof saak
nie.
Die verskillende lede van die Kriminele Sisteem moet gedurig opleiding verkry wat
hulle in staat sal stel om die gevoelens van die slagoffers in ag te neem. Die howe
wat spesiaal opgerig is om verkragting sake te verhoor moet geevalueer word sodat
dit 'n sukses kan wees. Kommunikasie moet bevorder word tussen die verskillende departemente en nie -regerings organisasies wat 'n rol speel gedurende die hof
sake.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:netd.ac.za/oai:union.ndltd.org:sun/oai:scholar.sun.ac.za:10019.1/53584 |
| Date | 03 1900 |
| Creators | Viljoen, Charmell S. |
| Contributors | Gouws, A., Stellenbosch University. Faculty of Arts & Social Sciences. Dept. of Political Science . |
| Publisher | Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University |
| Source Sets | South African National ETD Portal |
| Language | en_ZA |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Thesis |
| Format | 67 p. |
| Rights | Stellenbosch University |
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