Present practices of rape care management in Thuthuzela Care Centres of the North West Province

Abstract

We aimed to characterise practices of rape care management centres in a South African setting. Participants were rape survivors consulted in Thuthuzela care centres of the North West Province. They indicated which acute medical management they received when reporting rape, and which mental health care management they received during follow-up care visits. We analysed the descriptive data to characterise practices around acute medical management provided immediately after reporting rape, and to characterise mental health care management that was provided during follow-up care visits. Findings suggest that most of the rape survivors received acute mental care management to manage injuries, Sexually Transmitted Infections (STIs), pregnancy, and Human Immune deficiency Virus (HIV). However, few rape survivors received acute mental health care management during follow-up care visits.

Keywords:

• rape
• rape care
• rape management
• rape survivors
• South Africa

Acknowledgements

All acknowledgements go to the NRF (TTK160601167061) for funding the study as well as the faculty of health sciences and the Department of Health for giving us permission to conduct the study. All survivors who agreed to participate in this study and to share their experiences with regard to their perceptions of the provision of rape care management given unto them are also acknowledged. We also acknowledge the Tirisano Training Programme offered by the Semel Institute at the University of California Los Angeles, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioural Science, for their partial financial funding and for providing training in the writing of publications.

ORCID

Nombulelo Veronica Sepeng http://orcid.org/0000-0001-9394-557X

Lufuno Makhado http://orcid.org/0000-0003-1689-9308