Browsing by Author "Van Straten, Christina"

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    An analysis of the alignment of Stellenbosch University’s policy on rape with recent research recommendations
    (2024-03 ) Van Straten, Christina; Eigelaar-Meets, Ilse; Stellenbosch University. Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences. Dept. of Sociology and Social Anthropology.
    ENGLISH ABSTRACT: South African universities remain plagued by a scourge of rape. The Council on Higher Education argues that this prevalence is due to the fact that these universities remain patriarchal institutions, and function in a society rife with various manifestations of gender-based violence. This research project aimed to identify the extent to which current policy at Stellenbosch University (SU) aimed at curbing sexual violence amongst its students, aligns with recent research on rape that was concluded at this and other institutions. This qualitative study assessed the alignment of Stellenbosch University’s (SU’s) Unfair Discrimination and Harassment Policy (UDHP) to the findings and recommendations made by researchers and institutions globally. It further utilised key informant interviews of staff from various SU departments in order to analyse the implementation of the UDHP. Data collection and interpretation of findings is supported by, a comprehensive literature review conducted to identify the core features of a comprehensive and informed rape policy. This review found that for a rape policy to be regarded comprehensive, it must be victim-centred and trauma-informed. It must also contain specific references to aspects of prevention, provision, protection, practice and prosecution, in order to be considered comprehensive. The analysis then found that SU’s UDHP meets only a few of the local and global policy recommendations. The UDHP draws adequate attention to the provision of support to victims, but it falls short in several other aspects. The UDHP does not prescribe specific and relevant stipulations regarding prevention, the protection of victims, and sensitive prosecution and practice procedures that are appropriate for rape-related matters. Many of the shortfalls identified above are rooted in the lack of a standalone policy that is designed specifically for sexual violence and not just discrimination and harassment in general. This study recommends that SU invests resources in a a complete overhaul of the existing UDHP, including a standalone policy focusing specifically on matters related to the management of sexual violence at the institution to be regarded as a comprehensive policy.