Govt 'failing' abuse victims

2005-08-11 08:48

Adriaan Basson

Johannesburg - The department of health acknowledges in a new national policy document that it has failed victims of sexual offences.

This includes shortcomings in the provision of antiretroviral medicine (ARM) to rape victims, incompetent doctors and the lack of long-term psychological support for all victims of sexual offences.

"We are sorry about this," Siyani Marima, a director in the department's directorate for children's and women's health, said on Wednesday in Johannesburg.

Marima announced the department's new policy on sexual offences at a conference on legislation and policy relating to sexual offences in South Africa.

This policy, signed by Dr Manto Tshabalala-Msimang, makes no bones about her department's "negligent" conduct toward the victims of sexual offences.

Independent academics and experts in the field of sex crimes drew up the policy.

It reveals further:
- there are "substantial gaps" in the department's services and numerous incidents where its officials' treatment of victims caused further trauma;

- the "vast majority" of doctors now treating victims of sexual offences have no specific training in this field;

- the quality of their examinations and their documentation of evidence is poor;

- the facilities where victims are treated are often poor;

- many doctors treat very few such cases annually and do not have the opportunity to gain experience; and

- there is a "rapid" turnover of doctors in the public sector and emigration is a problem.

Rape victims The policy also mentions that rape victims often have to wait in long queues for treatment and that, apart from medical examinations, their needs are not met.

The aim of the policy's guidelines is to set right the "negligence of the past" in the treatment of victims and to place patients' needs "centrally".

Marima said her department wanted to see that these victims received "quality treatment, because our services to victims of sexual violence are really not good".

She also knows of incidents of corruption where people pay officials to get to the top of the queue or where officials demanded money to provide free services.

"I also wish there were more politicians who could help us get a bigger share of the budget. We struggle with our budget," Marima said.

When asked if Tshabalala-Msimang shared the policy or Marima's views, Marima replied: "I do not speak on behalf of the minister, but she shares the feeling of the policy - also about the provision of ARM".

- Beeld