‘Law must favour victims’
Activists want training improved
The government needs to ensure that the laws created to fight sexual violence work in favour of the victims.
This is the view of civil society organisations and participants who attended a forum to evaluate the impact of the Criminal Law (Sexual Offences and Related Matters) Amendment Act in Kempton Park last week, 10 years since the law came into effect.
The forum was convened by the National Prosecutions Authority and the Depart- ment of Justice.
Although the latest crime statistics indicate a slight decline in sexual offences in 2016/2017 compared to the previous year, participants felt these figures do not paint an accurate picture.
Gender activist and a researcher at Wits City Institute Lisa Vetten said the target for the police was to reduce rape, which she said was “very mistaken”.
“The police should be measured on something like the quality of service they provide and their ability to deal with a wide range of complainants, including the disabled,” she said.
Vetten also said training was a problem.
“It starts with the police officer who takes the statement. Many of those statements are of a very poor quality.
“You have doctors who have not been trained as forensic nurses so the quality of the examination is not as good.
“The vast majority of prosecutors are generalists [and] don’t necessarily know how to lead expert evidence,” Vetten added.
South African musician Jennifer Ferguson recently accused soccer boss Danny Jordaan of raping her 24 years ago. Deputy Justice Minister John Jeffery said he hoped Ferguson would lay a charge so that the law could take its course.