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Sexual Offences and Community Affairs (SOCA) Unit Annual report 2006/2007 & additional information on 2007/2008

Sexual Offences and Community Affairs (SOCA) Unit Annual report 2006/2007 & additional information on 2007/2008 19 May 2008

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Sexual Offences and Community Affairs (SOCA) Unit Annual report 2006/2007 & additional information on 2007/2008

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  1. Sexual Offences and Community Affairs (SOCA) UnitAnnual report 2006/2007 & additional information on 2007/2008 19 May 2008

  2. The SOCA Unit was established in 1999 through a Presidential Proclamation in terms of section 13(1) (c) of the NPA Act. SOCA focuses primarily on issues involving the victimisation of women and children with emphasis on the following matters: • • Formulating policy on capacity building, sensitisation and scientific functional training for the prosecution of sexual offences, domestic violence and maintenance cases, as well as managing young offenders. • • Coordinating the establishment of Specialised Sexual Offences Courts for adjudicating sexual offences. • • Facilitating and formulating research techniques for prosecuting sexual offences, domestic violence and maintenance cases, as well as for managing young offenders. • • Developing and implementing community awareness programmes and plans for the participation of NGOs in processes and procedures aimed at preventing or containing sexual offences, domestic violence, maintenance issues and the management of young offenders. • • Developing training programmes and mechanisms for the prosecution of sexual offences, domestic violence and maintenance cases, as well as for managing young offenders. • To perform all the above functions in relation to domestic violence, maintenance and young offender management.

  3. Embedded in this proclamation is a regard for human rights underpinned by a problem-solving approach to justice, which is performed through the SOCA’s four operational sections: • • Sexual Offences Section, which deals with relevant common law offences and offences in terms of the Sexual Offences Act, 1957 and related legislation such as the Films and Publications Act; Criminal Procedure Act, Child Justice Bill, Sexual Offences Bill (currently Criminal Law (Sexual Offences and related matters) Amendment Act 32/2007). • • Domestic Violence Section, which deals with offences committed in terms of the Domestic Violence Act, 1998 and other relevant legislation, aims to eliminate or minimise domestic victimisation. • • Maintenance Section, which deals with civil and criminal maintenance matters in terms of the Maintenance Act, 1998 and other relevant legislation, and intends to ensure access to maintenance for any person legally entitled to it, and to minimise the feminisation of poverty. • • Child Justice Section, which deals with young offender management as captured in the Child Justice Bill, 2002, and other relevant legislation, to ultimately ensure fair and rehabilitative management of child offenders.

  4. The SOCA’s goals and values are based on the principle that all people should live in freedom and security. The Unit has adopted a goal-orientated and project-based approach to achieving its objectives, and is achieving significant progress in combating violence against women and children, while also reducing secondary victimisation. The broad outcomes that SOCA seeks to achieve are to: • • improve the conviction rate in gender-based crimes and crimes against children • • actively protect vulnerable groups from abuse and violence • • ensure access to maintenance support • • systematically reduce secondary victimisation, so that all groups in society can make their meaningful and unhindered contributions to society.

  5. Tracking performance over a period of 5 years re dedicated courts and linked to TCC’s:

  6. Notable Achievements: • The UN General Assembly has recognised the “Thuthuzela Model” of multidisciplinary care centres as a “world best practice model” in the field of Gender Violence Management and Response • SOCA developed and launched its “365 National Action Plan (NAP) on No Violence against Women and Children” on 8 March 2007. NAP is aimed at streamlining initiatives between government departments (provincial and local), the private sector and NGOs. • For this purpose a calendar of national and provincial events was endorsed by the Deputy President and the Deputy Minister of DPLG. • SOCA hosted a consultative session with Southern and Eastern African governments and NGOs regarding violence against children in these regions, with the results also presented to the United Nations and is in the process of giving technical assistance to Ethiopia. • The establishment of new Thuthuzela Care Centres (TCC’s) remains on track in accordance with the roll-out plan and roadmap, which will see a total of 42 TCC’s set up by end 2009 with current available funds. Processes have been standardised through process mapping. The location of roll-out sites is guided by gender violence crime statistics from Safety & Security. • SOCA has also developed an M & E system and an audit tool to determine and monitor service delivery levels at the TCC’s.

  7. Notable achievements continued: • A Programme Steering Committee for the Trafficking in Persons Inter-sectoral Task Team was established to monitor, evaluate and provide strategic guidance for task team activities. This initiative was designed to develop an integrated strategy on trafficking in persons. • A project to investigate and offer solutions to streamline and improve maintenance service delivery was implemented • • The appointment of maintenance investigators (45 in North West and Limpopo) and maintenance officers (34 in Limpopo and Northern Cape) in conjunction with the DoJ&CD as well as the establishment of Maintenance Forums in all nine provinces • • Processes have been standardised through process mapping for Civil and Criminal procedures in line with the Maintenance Act • To test the efficacy of the systems we scanned five provinces over the last quarter of the year under review and discovered elements of good srevice delivery as follows: • Province Enquiries dealt with Enquiries finalised • Eastern Cape 2 102 918 • KwaZulu-Natal 4 112 2 126 • North West 6 087 5 041 • Northern Cape 1 710 998 • Mpumalanga 2 268 1 226 • TOTAL* 16 279 10 309 (63.3% finalised) • *Enquiries handled by 29 maintenance prosecutors out 52 countrywide while carrying 18 vacancies.

  8. Noteable achievements continued: • Project Ndabezitha, launched in March 2007, in partnership with the DoJ&CD and National House of Traditional Leaders, focuses on Restorative Justice as a viable option in tackling domestic violence cases in rural communities. Unit standards for SAQA-accredited Integrated Domestic Violence Training Modules were assessed in terms of providing a standardised and accredited training curriculum. • Project Ndabezitha was inspired by the realisation that criminal prosecution is not the most effective intervention for all reported cases of domestic violence. This Project is empowering traditional leaders to deal with domestic violence in rural areas. The Project: • takes justice to communities • decreases backlogs in domestic violence cases • reduces secondary victimisation • introduces early intervention.

  9. Notable achievements continued: • The multidisciplinary training of role-players dealing with offences against women and children is an essential component of SOCA’s service delivery. In this year, a total of 651 people were trained on matters relating to child pornography and child sex offenders, young offender management, sexual harassment policy, maintenance and child victims. Traditional leaders (Project Ndabezitha) and prosecutors were trained on the Integrated Domestic Violence Manual. • Training conducted (19 course modules, 651 delegates): • Child pornography prosecutions training 84 delegates • Young offender management training 156 delegates • Sexual harassment policy training 156 delegates • Maintenance Implementation Act training 64 maintenance prosecutors • Advanced skills on dealing with child victims and prosecuting of child sex offender training 82 delegates • Project Ndabezitha and integrated domestic violence training 109 delegates • Stakeholder engagement: SOCA works closely with all fellow CJS stakeholders and communities. Through extensive public education and awareness programmes lasting relationships have been formed with organized and unorganized civil society formations. • There are specific programmes focusing on young people and children through initiatives like the speak out campaign for primary school children as well as adopt a school project conducted for older children together with the Department of Education. These projects are designed to empower girls, boys & women by teaching them how to react to unlawful & unwelcome advances as well as hoe to access the support of SOCA and other associated services.

  10. ADDITIONAL INFORMATION FOR 2007/2008 • Average conviction rate for TCC cases in 07/08 = 75.3% • Number of matters reported at the TCC’s for 07/08 = 7795 • Total number of delegates trained, in various training programmes relating to Maintenance, Sexual Offences and Domestic violence equals, 1566. • In Maintenance for the fourth quarter, 55 m/prosecutors dealt with 27 981 formal & informal maintenance enquiries and finalised 18 037 (64.5%). In the previous reporting periods, the statistics were: • For Q1 it was, 25 285 (dealt with), 16 500 (finalised) 65.2%; • For Q2 it was, 24 952 (dealt with), 14 887 (finalised) 59.6%. • For Q3 it was, 24 322 (dealt with), 15 558 (finalised) 63.9% Total for 12 months period: 102 540 / 64 982 (63.4%) • As part of the Ethiopian / South African partnership and learning programme (referred to in Q3 report), a South African technical support team composed of officials from the DOJCD, NPA & SAPS was formed. The team is responsible for giving technical support to the Ethiopian Justice cluster on matters relating to the management of gender based violence, by sharing best practises and training were required. The team was invited by the Ethiopian government to participate in the 2nd Gender Justice in Africa colloquium held in Addis Ababa, from 27 Feb -01 March 2008. A country report and TCC model report was presented by the team, and complimented for at the conference.

  11. ADDITIONAL INFORMATION FOR 2007/2008 • The SOCA & NPS established task team during a consultative process designed and compiled Process Maps and Mind Maps (96 documents) on the related statuary charges of the Criminal Law (Sexual Offences and Related Matters) Amendment Act 32/2007, promulgated on 16/12/07. The Mind Maps are in graphical step by step breakdown format to assist prosecutors in identifying the elements of offences and is groundbreaking work which will be distributed at the training sessions. The team also designed 68 pro formas, drafted interim directives and an explanatory note distributed to Dpp-offices pre promulgation of the said Act. • Re domestic violence, a baseline study was conducted on the restorative justice management of domestic violence cases in rural communities where traditional leaders are based. Alignment of integrated domestic violence package material with registered Unit standards, 2nd draft has been finalized and is available on CD. Currently the task team is working with service provider to have the aligned version of the DV manual accredited by SASSETA. Of the 81 learners trained (training course for prosecutors and traditional leaders on unit standard 117871) 98% of the learners were declared competent and registered by SAQA in Feb 2008. This is the highest competency rate ever achieved in the NPAin learning initiatives that are unit standard based.

  12. ADDITIONAL INFORMATION FOR 2007/2008 • Co-facilitation of an international United Nations Human Trafficking Conference for Religious leaders (UN Interfaith Dialogue). • Presented Human Trafficking strategy – indicating community roles and concerns at Gender Justice Summit. • Participated in the Asian Legal Consultative Organization on Human trafficking held in Cape Town. • Hosted various delegations from Ethiopia, Namibia & Botswana. • After the acceptance of the Danish funding in December 2007, a budgeted work plan was designed and developed for the roll-out of 12 TCC’s and the implementation of an IDMT project management Unit.

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