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PART 3. PROTECTING AND SUPPORTING THE VICTIMS OF SEXUAL VIOLENCE At Panzi Hospital, the coordinator of the hospital’s legal aid clinic, receives an adolescent, victim of rape, Bukavu, Democratic Republic of the Congo. © Pierre-Yves Ginet – Women here and elsewhere, Octobre 25, 2010. A. REPORTING SEXUAL VIOLENCE 21. Emergency numbers 21. 1. States must create toll-free national emergency numbers that are available 24 hours a day, seven days a week, to make it possible for victims or any other person to report cases of sexual violence, obtain information on how to access protection and support services for victims, and get referrals to the appropriate services. These emergency help lines must be confidential and must guarantee the anonymity of those reporting the violence. They must also be linked up with all relevant services (police, gendarmerie, medical, social, legal, etc.) in order to facilitate and hasten the intervention of the authorities and the provision of services to victims and to increase reporting rates for cases of sexual violence. 21. 2. States must increase financial and human resources for these emergency help lines in times of political instability; before, during and after elections; and in situations conflict and crisis. 22. Day centres, counselling and referral States must create, strengthen and/or maintain programmes and counselling and support centres for the victims of sexual violence. These places of safety must provide support and advice to victims on how to access appropriate services. They should provide a welcoming space, a listening ear and free, confidential and anonymous support provided by specially trained personnel. 23. Social workers in police stations States must also take the necessary measures to ensure that specially trained social workers have permanent offices at police stations and gendarmerie outposts to provide care and guidance to the victims of sexual violence, referring them to the appropriate services and ensuring that they do not experience re-victimization. 24 GUIDELINES ON COMBATING SEXUAL VIOLENCE AND ITS CONSEQUENCES IN AFRICA

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The Guidelines on Combating Sexual Violence and its Consequences in Africa

ACHPR Resources

Document date: Oct 20, 2010

Type of document: Recommendations

Language: English

Thematic Area

Women

Document Summary: The Guidelines on Combating Sexual Violence and Its Consequences in Africa come with explanatory notes. These notes provide references on the sources used, which are the binding and non-binding African regional legal instruments; the jurisprudence of the Commission, its general comments, thematic resolutions and resolutions on specific situations in a given country; and other regional and sub-regional legal and regulatory texts, particularly those adopted by the African Union. The explanatory notes also refer to normative international instruments, such as human rights treaties; specific legislation on the promotion and protection of the rights of women; and the general recommendations of the Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women; and relevant resolutions of the Security Council and General Assembly of the United Nations. They also refer to texts and tools produced by special human rights protection mechanisms at the international and regional levels, for example the special procedures of the United Nations and the Commission. Finally, these notes draw from the jurisprudence of international courts and other judicial and quasi-judicial mechanisms, and from texts on best practices in combating sexual violence and its consequences at the national, regional and international levels.

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The Guidelines on Combating Sexual Violence and its Consequences in Africa

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