Regional Training Programme for the Care and Support of Sexual Assault Survivors
2 - 13 February 2009

Rape is a profound public health problem and human rights violation that has been declared a threat to global security. It is a problem in all societies. The impact of rape on survivors' physical and mental health and role in society is often substantial and long-lasting. Good quality holistic care for rape victims can play a critical role in recovery, and in supporting the transition from rape victim to survivor. Despite its pervasiveness, in most countries, services for rape victims have been neglected. Health services struggle to meet their psycho-social and physical needs effectively, policy is often lacking, services poorly developed and health workers untrained. The police and justice systems also struggle to provide them with justice, and there is a failure to develop communication and cooperation between these sectors. Through this project, the Sexual Violence Research Initiative is supporting processes within countries to develop health sector responses to rape survivors, both immediately after rape and in the longer term, and to promote an appropriate and effective interface between the health, police and justice sectors. The project has been launched in Africa.

The project builds on four components: partnership, training, policy, and research. The first phase of this multi-year programme of support is to promote the development of working partnerships among policy makers, service providers and trainers, and women's advocates within countries. Through Sexual Violence Research Initiative networks and partnerships, seven multi-disciplinary teams have been established in Rwanda, Zimbabwe, Zambia, Uganda, Malawi, Kenya, and Nigeria.

Team members represent the health, justice and policing sectors from their countries. These teams are the core drivers of change at country level for developing and strengthening multi-sectoral responses to sexual violence.

The first stage then is to develop a vision for strengthened health services and inter-sectoral partnership at a country level. Skills and knowledge of the country teams will be enriched through a multi-sectoral Regional Training Programme for Care and Support of Sexual Assault Survivors. This will introduce a holistic model of post-rape health care from the South African national curriculum, which was developed from over a decade of initiatives undertaken across South Africa at policy, training, research and service levels to improve sexual assault care. Team members will have an opportunity to visit services in South Africa, meet South African counterparts and debate models of care, health sector policy initiatives and legal responses to rape across the continent. It will provide participants with space to create and strengthen collaborative partnerships.

In a second phase, the Sexual Violence Research Initiative will provide technical support and guidance for processes in country to develop policy, models of care and inter-sectoral working, and training for health professionals, where appropriate supported by research. This process will be supported over several years.
The project is funded by Ford Foundation, PEPFAR, CDC, Global Forum for Health Research and MRC.

• Global Review Of The Role Of Medico-Legal Evidence In Sexual Assault Cases, Janice Du Mont & Deborah White, presentation made at the “Women’s Worlds”, Madrid, Spain, July 8, 2008 (pdf format, 1011 kb)
• Research Summary - Rape: How women, the community and the health sector respond, Sexual Violence Research Initiative, 2008. (pdf format, 138 kb)
• 2008 Medico-Legal Convening in Response to Sexual Violence, The Safari Park Hotel, Nairobi, Kenya, 2 – 5 June 2008: Liverpool, VCT, Care and Treatment, and the Sexual Violence Research Initiative recently co-hosted a meeting in Kenya. The workshop aim was to strengthen the medico-legal response to sexual violence through multi-disciplinary collaboration among organisations and partners in Eastern, Central and Southern Africa. Over 50 participants attended the workshop. Access the workshop materials.
• Research Priorities for Strengthening the Medico-Legal Response to Sexual Violence in Eastern, Central and Southern Africa. A briefing paper. Sexual Violence Research Initiative, Liverpool VCT, 2008 (pdf format, 165 kb)
• Workshop Report on Medico-Legal Responses to Sexual Violence, Strengthening The Medico-Legal Response To Sexual Violence Through Multi Disciplinary Collaboration Among Organizations And Partners In Eastern, Central And Southern Africa. Nairobi, Kenya. LVCT, SVRI, 2-6 June 2008 (pdf format, 2083 kb)

• African Regional Training Programme For Care And Support Of Sexual Assault Survivors, Training Report, 2009 (pdf format, 1014 kb)