Journals Information
Sociology and Anthropology Vol. 4(1), pp. 6 - 11
DOI: 10.13189/sa.2016.040102
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Challenges and Achievements with Regard to Woman and Child Abuse Prevention by the South African Police Services
Mothibi A Kholofelo *
Department of Criminology and Criminal Justice, University of Limpopo, South Africa
ABSTRACT
The purpose of the paper is to explore the South African Police Services (SAPS) measures in fighting against woman and child abuse in South Africa since 1994. The challenges and successes within the campaigns against abuse are also highlighted. Police crime statistics released in September 2012 state that in 2011/2012 there were a total of 9 193 sexual offences reported to the SAPS in the Western Cape. The SAPS has recently re-introduced the Family Violence, Child Protection and Sexual Offences (FCS) units throughout the country to ensure that crimes against women and children are adequately addressed by the police. Legislation includes amongst: The Domestic Violence Act 116 of 1998, the Protection from Harassment Act 17 of 2011, and Children's Act No. 38 of 2005. The findings further revealed that the SAPS face challenges when fighting against abuse. Amongst the challenges are the unreported cases of abuse and victims withdrawing their cases because of financial dependency on the offender. Sixteen Days of Activism on No Violence against Women and Children it is a major campaign that is used by SAPS to address abuse. The paper used secondary data, collected from various scholarly documents on woman and child abuse. The paper draws conclusion from the findings obtained in the existing literature and makes recommendations on how SAPS can improve in the prevention of women and child abuse in South Africa.
KEYWORDS
Domestic Violence, Victimization, Abuse, Sexual Offences, Offender
Cite This Paper in IEEE or APA Citation Styles
(a). IEEE Format:
[1] Mothibi A Kholofelo , "Challenges and Achievements with Regard to Woman and Child Abuse Prevention by the South African Police Services," Sociology and Anthropology, Vol. 4, No. 1, pp. 6 - 11, 2016. DOI: 10.13189/sa.2016.040102.
(b). APA Format:
Mothibi A Kholofelo (2016). Challenges and Achievements with Regard to Woman and Child Abuse Prevention by the South African Police Services. Sociology and Anthropology, 4(1), 6 - 11. DOI: 10.13189/sa.2016.040102.