REPUBLIC OF SOUTH AFRICA COMBINED SECOND PERIODIC REPORT UNDER THE AFRICAN CHARTER ON HUMAN AND PEOPLE`S RIGHTS and INITIAL REPORT UNDER THE PROTOCOL TO THE AFRICAN CHARTER ON THE RIGHTS OF WOMEN IN AFRICA Institutional measures to strengthen the right to be free from violence 102. With regards to the right to security of person and to be free from all forms of violence, government noted that even though serious crime levels had decreased and substantial resources had been made available, performance in the criminal justice system is something that requires continuous improvement. 103. In response to this challenge, government adopted an outcomes-based system and renewed its commitment to ensuring that citizens are and feel safe. This meant paying particular attention to those types of crimes that induced feelings of insecurity among citizens, particularly trio (vehicle hijackings, residential and business robberies) and contact crimes (assault, murder and rape). Targets were set for lowering these categories of crime. Government committed itself to improving capacity in the criminal justice system, increasing the number of finalised cases, reducing case backlogs, strengthening rehabilitation and victim support programmes, and addressing cyber-security and cybercrime threats.69 104. Several surveys have shown that citizens and communities are beginning to feel safer. The Victims of Crime Survey found that, during the period 2008 to 2010, about 60% of households surveyed were satisfied with the way the police and courts were doing their work.70 In a further Victims of Crime Survey, for the period April 2012 to February 2014, more than 60% of households were satisfied with the way in which police and courts were doing their work. This view may have been influenced by factors such as the time it took for police to respond to a crime, visible policing, conviction rates, and sentencing of perpetrators. Households who were satisfied with the police in their area felt that the police come to the scene of the crime (78,0%) and were committed (73,7%).71 105. Reduced crime levels after 2003/04 could be attributed to an increase in visible policing and improved crime-combating initiatives, which were part of the National Crime Prevention Strategy. Improvements in conviction rates and the imposition of harsher sentences could also have acted as disincentives. Measures to address gender-based violence: 106. Contact crimes (a category of serious crimes) induce the most fear, as the victim comes into contact with the perpetrator, usually resulting in bodily harm or death. Government pays particular attention to these types of crimes. Several interventions were introduced or strengthened to address gender-based violence and sexual offences against vulnerable groups, in particular women and children. These interventions included the following:  Specialised courts dedicated to sexual offences  Thuthuzela Care Centres to help prevent secondary trauma for victims of these crimes 69 20 Year Review, p. 137 20 Year Review, p.138 71 Victims of Crime Survey 2013/14, p.2 70 35