Democracy Program Description

Printeremail

Women’s Justice and Empowerment Initiative (WJEI)

Implementer:            Research Triangle International (RTI)   

SAG Counterpart:    Dept of Justice National Prosecuting Authority Sexual Offenses and Community Affairs Unit

Duration:                   September 2008-September 2012

Funding to Date:      $15 million 

USAID assistance is helping to advance the SAG to upgrade and expand its one-stop Thuthuzela Care Centre (TCC) network, a pioneering effort to address the medical and social needs of survivors of gender-based violence, reduce secondary victimization and improve perpetrator conviction rates. WJEI has five  specific objectives a) Upgrade and Expand the National TCC Network, including Hiring Staff for the TCCs; b) Improve Care and Treatment for Survivors Assisted by the TCCs; c) Award Targeted Grants to NGOs to provide Follow-on Care to Survivors and Assist Women and Children in Poor Communities in Accessing the Justice System; d) Provide Institutional Support to SOCA and Technical Assistance to Ensure Sustainability of the TCC Network; and e) Assist SOCA with South/South  Activities Related to WJEI, including Disseminating and Promoting Best Practices in Sexual and Gender-based Violence Internationally and Regionally. Since 2008, the USG has upgraded six, established 16 TCCs and will establish a further seven TCCs to be handed over to the SAG by September 30, 2012.

Justice Sector Strengthening Program

Implementer:            National Center for State Courts (NCSC)   

SAG Counterpart:    Dept of Justice Court Services and Office of the Chief Justice

Duration:                   October 2010-July 2012

The National Center for State Courts is providing technical assistance to SA justice sector institutions to: a) Improve court administration reforms and case-flow management to increase accessible, timely and fair justice to the citizens of SA and; b) Strengthen the ability of the courts that enable the effective prosecution and adjudication of sexual offences and gender based violence cases in South Africa. The JSSP approach rests upon augmenting South African justice sector reform led primarily by the MOJCD and the Office of the Chief Justice by incrementally building on past reforms through institutional consensus and commitment towards greater sustainability of important change initiatives.

Global Labor Program

Implementer:                        American Center for International Labor Solidarity

Counterpart:                          Congress of South African Trade Unions, Other Labor Unions

Duration:                               October 2011-September 2016

Funding to Date:                  $4.059 million 

The Global Labor Program has various country and regional level sub-programs throughout the world.  The South Africa and Southern Africa Program seeks to promote international labor standards, improve workers' access to justice and support independent, democratic labor unions and NGOs.  The program will focus specifically on promotion of labor justice and the rule of law in the labor sector, gender considerations in labor unions, continuing improvements in the monitoring and evaluation of program results, and the integration of program objectives with USAID's regional and country-specific development goals.  Within the region, the program operates primarily in South Africa but also has smaller programs with labor unions in Swaziland and Mozambique.

Increasing services for Survivors of Sexual Assault in South Africa

Implementer:            Foundation for Professional Development (FPD): In Process

SAG Counterpart:    Dept of Justice: National Prosecuting Authority - Sexual Offenses and Community Affairs Unit

Duration:                   April 2012-March 2017

Funding to Date:      Approximately $10 million 

To build on USAID’s investments in the TCC model, a five year program was developed to increase awareness of the services provided in all 52 TCCs and expand the services of the TCCs.  A nationwide public awareness campaign will seek to accomplish the following: 1) Inform communities surrounding the TCCs of the services provided and how to access them; 2) Assist the TCCs in making sure all hospital staff and local actors are aware of the services provided at the TCCs and where the TCC is located at the hospital complex; 3)As part of public awareness of TCC services, coordinating this information with other awareness raising campaigns that may be occurring regarding anti-gender based violence; 4)Working with USG PEPFAR funded implementers (particularly those working on GBV prevention) regarding the integration of information about the TCCs into all prevention literature and anti-GBV campaigns; 5) Making sure information on the TCCs is included in information provided to children on the subject of reporting sexual assault; 6) As part of this public awareness campaign, programming must be culturally sensitive; and 7) Seek to decrease stigmatization of reporting cases and seeking treatment at the TCCs or any other anti-GBV provider.  Expanding the services of TCCs includes the following activities: 1) Establishing up to 4 new TCCs; 2) Providing grants to NGOs for after-hours care, PEPFAR related services and other assistance at existing TCCs and in TCC catchment areas; 3) Multidisciplinary training at TCCs/TCC catchment areas; 4) Increasing child witness services/support; 5) Support for sexual offences courts; 6) Support for interventions to enhance the Case Manager role at the TCCs and to engage with justice system actors on the prosecution and adjudication of sexual assault cases; and 7) Conducting an assessment of sexual assault case withdrawals.