The court experiences of survivors of child sexual abuse

Abstract

This study ws aimed at understanding the particular experiences of children who have been sexualy abused, with regrds to their experiences in court.With the high prevalence of sexual abuse in South Africa, many children are forced to testify against the alleged perpetrators of these crimes in public courts. Several reforms have been introduced into the child justice system, inorder to make the process of child testimony more child-friendly. The research explicated the children's expereinces of the new courtroom procedures and it was found that some aspects of the legal process were indeed experienced as a form of secondary traumatisation.