1. Reporting
Reporting an assault to the South African Police Service is the initial step for many survivors navigating the justice system. It is also the first point at which the system often fails, according to the survey conducted by WJW and its partners. A quarter of survivors surveyed said that the police never even registered their case.
Officers advised survivors to find a solution with the perpetrator rather than open a formal case and “waste government resources.” In some instances, this led to additional incidences of gender-based violence.
Even when survivors succeed in registering their case, the reporting experience is often retraumatizing. Survivors reported that after long wait times at the station, they often had to share their story with male police officers, who did not demonstrate the sensitivity, dignity, and urgency required in gender-based violence cases. These officers frequently failed to explain survivors’ rights as victims or the next steps in their case.
I think reporting in this country is itself a form of trauma. So it's like trauma on trauma.
125 of the 127 survivors who reported their abuse experienced issues talking to the police:
86 % said police did not explain their rights.
82 % said police failed to treat them with sensitivity, dignity, and urgency.
51 % said they experienced long delays.
42 % said there were no female officers present when they went to the station.
38 % said that police discouraged them from opening an official case against their abuser.