Abstract
Sexual offences in South Africa remains an epidemic that only seems to increase yearly. In order to curtail the escalating rates of sexual offences in the country the VOD program was introduced for victims to seek justice in their own way. The VOD program is a long-standing movement implemented in various crime categories as an alternative justice mechanism. Its usage in sexual offence cases in South Africa has been relatively and quite sparse. Within this context, this study aimed to explore the views and experiences of the facilitators mediating VODs in sexual offence cases in Gauteng. The study's objective was to gain insights into whether there are VOD programs for sexual offence cases and how they are conducted. The research study was conducted using a qualitative exploratory research approach underpinned by a constructivist paradigm. Interviews were conducted with 10 VOD facilitators who work in Correctional Centres and NGOs in Gauteng. The findings revealed that mediating VODs in sexual offence cases can be a challenging experience due to the sensitivity of the topic. As a result, the participants experience vicarious traumatisation when mediating VODs in these cases. The study also showed that the participants grapple with issues surrounding a VOD program centralized around offender rehabilitation. This can be problematic as it creates a power imbalance and opportunities for re-victimization of the victim due to the offender’s non-transparency. The participants also highlighted the lack of resources as a challenge and recommended more training and awareness on VOD in sexual offences.
Word count: 248
Keywords: VOD, sexual offences, facilitators, re-victimization, vicarious traumatisation,
Gauteng