Counseling

Counseling is a very important service when dealing with people who are distressed or victims of violence. Co-ordinators provide basic counseling before taking statements, as well as pre-trial and post trial counseling. For severe cases they refer clients to professional counselors who provide their services as back-up to the Support Centres. The strength of the counseling is that victims are attended to in a private, comfortable and sensitive environment. This contrasts significantly with the environment which victims are usually subjected to: a bare, unfriendly public charge office supervised by police lacking in sensitivity.

In the case of domestic violence, both spouses are counseled, which has an added benefit to families, since it makes men aware of their responsibilities to their families. Even though it is not customary to discuss domestic problems outside the home, these men in turn talk to their friends and encourage them to avoid destructive and harmful conduct within their families too.

Mediation and Conflict Resolution

Many women who are victims of domestic violence prefer to utilise the informal system of help which the Support Centres offer, rather than formal, external control system of police and courts. Thus the Support Centre co-ordinators mediate an increasing number of domestic violence cases, and cite this as one of their major job challenges.

The strength of mediation and conflict resolution is that the wishes of the victim are firmly adhered to, and that where possible the re-establishment of healthy relations between people are pursued. This approach is clearly understood and recommended by the co-ordinators.

The ability of the co-ordinators to engage the abuser when mediating within a family is a critical factor to the success of the intervention. Co-ordinators have reported some extreme situations of domestic violence where mediation has produced astounding results, with an abuser apologising and living in harmony with their family thereafter.

Community Education and Outreach Services

The Support Centre co-ordinators conduct workshops within their communities, and do presentations at local forums, functions, celebrations and schools. The co-ordinators are also seen as leaders, and are therefore asked to attend community meetings in an advisory capacity. The aim of these efforts is to educate and raise awareness amongst people on human rights and the functions of the criminal justice system.

Relevant Legal Information

The interpretation of laws and statutes often creates problems for police staff, court officers and members of the public, and therefore the Support Centre staff provide this information in simple language so that it is easy to read and understand. This 'rewriting' of legal information was done by the Centre for Criminal Justice (CCJ) and acts included are the Domestic Violence Act, the Marriages Act, the Maintenance Act, the Criminal Procedure Act and Family Law.

Many laws are so complicated, that they leave even the most diligent reader uncertain and confused. Having in their hands legal information that they can understand allows ordinary people to access the rights conferred on to them by the law. Therefore the rewriting and distribution of legal information in an understandable format is a key service, helping to make justice accessible to all.