Thuthuzela and More

Yesterday was very eventful. We are done collecting the files that we need to look at for the 4 years we are studying. As I was getting them from the storage I started looking at some of them and the information and pictures are very graphic and sad. It’s going to be very interesting looking at hundreds of those and figuring out if they are rape homicide cases or not. We are going to start doing that tomorrow. We also got a chance to visit an outpatient clinic that takes care of rape cases also. This is the only clinic women can go after they have been raped and in there they are supposed to receive counseling and support. There is a long list of government regulations on what the clinic should do when a patient comes in but I learned yesterday that they only look good on paper. The funding provided by the government is simply not enough to carry our most of those procedures. We got a chance to meet the only forensic nurse in the Western Cape. Sister Bartlett is a wonderful woman who takes care of all rape cases that come to the clinic and appears in courts testifying for rape cases. She was simply amazing. I don’t know how she was taking care of everything on her own. She showed us her normal daily schedule which usually consisted of 6 rape cases per day in addition to several court appearances. The need for more manpower and money in this field is more than I could ever imagine. I think before coming here I would think to myself that why would someone deliberately choose to get involved in this depressing field. When I met Sister Bartlett my question was answered. The immediate satisfaction of helping women in such conditions is present in almost every case. I heard a story about an 8 year old raped by her neighbor and a 17 year old raped by her father. I was completely devastated after hearing all this. We are going to start working at the clinic once a week and contribute in any way we can. I was glad yesterday they did not have any cases come in… Apparently crystal meth has become really popular here. It’s very cheap and accessible especially in shantytowns. This highly addictive drug is a huge reason for the higher rape cases. Men under influence lose control and become very violent. It’s very interesting seeing the mental health aspect of this as well.

On a bright side, we are probably going to Robin Island this weekend. That’s were Nelson Mandela was exiled to. It should be an interesting day trip. Finally got my ticket to Botswana so everything is set. We will be meeting up with Dr. Campbell in Botswana. I am excited about visiting a new African country and being able to participate in the conference.