Eric Ntabazalila, National Prosecuting Authority of South Africa and Thuthuzela Care Centre
Apart from making sure that you’ve created a safe space for your victim to be able to share their story freely, it is important that you as the helper must be self-aware and understand your capacity to be exposed to the person’s secondary trauma.
This means that coming into the Thuthuzela Care Centre (TCC) environment requires that you know your own limitations and strengths.
As a TCC staff member you can manage secondary trauma by establishing a good work-life balance. This means that you manage your caseload in such a way that it does not interfere with your personal time or home life.
Self-care such as prioritising health, diet and sleep routines, as well as having a good support system can reduce the adverse effects of trauma related stress. In addition, the staff at the TCC are all formally trained and follow a trauma informed approach in dealing with the victims who present at the TCC.
The National Prosecuting Authority of South Africa (NPA) has a comprehensive and advisory Employee Health and Wellness Programme that is provided for by an independent service provider. It is designed to meet the psycho-social needs of all national prosecuting authorities and their immediate family members.
Employees can access the programme on their own, a colleague can refer an employee with the person’s consent or a referral can be done through work, provided the necessary consent has been obtained by the affected employee. Telephonic counselling is available 24/7.
Victims in South Africa are getting the help they need. The Mitchell’s Plain TCC provides multiple on-site services such as medical, legal, and psycho-social services to victims of domestic violence and sexual assault. Victims at the Mitchell’s Plain TCC can also access applications for domestic violence Protection Orders which are submitted directly to the Domestic violence court.
The work that goes into addressing and eradicating gender-based violence is important and requires everyone’s involvement. We want to encourage the public to speak out against any acts of gender-based violence and make use of the resources provided to communities.
