SEXUAL OFFENCES COURTS

Advocate Mthunzi Mhaga - Spokesperson for the for the Ministry of Justice and Correctional servicesGuest: Sanja Borman – Attorney who manages gender based violence portfolio at The Women’s Legal Centre In order to combat sexual violence, especially against women and children, the Department reintroduced the Sexual Offences Courts.The Sexual Offences Courts provides specialized victim-support services to improve the effectiveness of sexual offences matters and improves the turnaround time of conviction rates.It’s a positive sign that the government is finally putting its money where its mouth is when it comes to sexual violence, and it ought to be applauded. Of course, that won’t stop us bemoaning the lost years when such courts didn’t exist properly – because one of the findings of the department’s task team report on the issue has been how badly many courts have been equipped to deal with sexual offence cases up till now.