SayPro SEVISSA Session 2: Understanding the context of the work

Overview:

• To provide some insight into the beneficiaries that SeViSSA work with and also key issues emerging from the context

Intentions:

• To build a common understanding of the SeViSSA woman or child;
• To highlight key challenges or questions emerging from the work to date;

• Empathy Map as entry point to understand context and issues of the beneficiaries

Partners were asked to unpack what they considered would be what a SeViSSA child or non-SeViSSA child would think, say, feel or do.  They also had to do this for a SeViSSA woman and non-SeViSSA woman.

A SeViSSA woman:   Thinks: I have power over the situation of abuse Better understanding of what is happeningThere is hope for the futureI can take initiative   Says: I am empowered because of the training, I know my rightsI am a leaderMy voice will be heardMy children must learn lifeskills   Feels: Worthy, as if she belongs, confident and she can take control   Does: She stops abusing alcoholShe takes practical steps to implement the programReports abuseParticipates in leadership developmentShe takes action

A SeViSSA child:   Thinks: I can do things.Has a changed mindset   Says: I will speak out and report abuseEmpower othersShares info   Feels: Appreciated, valued, acknowledged, confident, safe.   Does: Take up issues at schoolPerform better at schoolMake better choicesRespects other girlsIs a leader at school and other activities

A Non-SeViSSA child   Thinks: Its ok to sleep with a sugar daddy to get money for toiletriesMy parents don’t support meI can do what I wantI don’t know what to doI am bad, I deserve what is happening to me, it is my faultThis relationship is not good (does not know its an abusive relationship)   Says: I am on my ownIts better to drop out of schoolI am doing things my wayThey say I have rights but I don’t know how to get them   Feels: Lonely, scared, abandoned, disempowered, alone   Doing: She leaves schoolShe joins a gangFalls pregnantTake anything coming her way

• Discussion about the context of the work and issues emerging following the empathy map exercise

Partners indicated that the exercise was useful in starting to consider what might be different about the women and children that the programme comes into contact with and what are other issues that the work has surfaced over the course of the programme implementation in the various provinces. Below are some key categories of issues that emerged from the conversation:

The environment

• The individual cannot be separated from the environment, system or context they exist in.  Whilst it is useful to look and understand the users’ thoughts, feelings, emotions, actions and even motivations, the reality is that that simply working with them and not doing anything about the environment is irresponsible. 

• The empowerment that happens for women and girls are important and necessary and part of the empowerment framework. This framework focuses on their power within, however, once these women and girls have been empowered with knowledge about their rights, in some contexts there is not the requisite services for them to access to realize these rights.

• The current reality in South Africa is that the criminal justice system is overstretched and unable to deal with current volume of abuse cases.  There is also a feeling that the policies and stakeholders working in this area is somewhat stagnant (fatigued) by the persistence of violence. 

• It highlights a gap between the gains of SeViSSA versus the law/policy arena.

Issues of sustainability….

• There is a sense that the programme is now starting to see changes within the context as a result of the interventions, and a feeling of satisfaction with the outcomes of SeViSSA.
  
  
  • A key issue is what would happen beyond the funding of NMCF or Comic Relief.
    
    
  • It is important to acknowledge the various resources that are available and make some critical decisions of what is possible to do given the lessons learnt thus far.
    
    
  • On another level, issues of sustainability have to also be taken into account in the strategy. Here the empowerment framework is important so that the SeViSSA beneficiaries themselves are given voice, visibility and capacity to start speaking out and addressing issues beyond the organisations that are currently doing the work.

Now that the SeViSSA programme is at this point, so what?

• Partners are still learning about the beneficiaries. The issues that impact them, the victim/perpetrator dynamic, the dynamics of poverty and power etc.
  
  
  • Partners may need to share the models and stories;
    
    
  • Partners may need popularise the empowerment framework and how it has worked or not worked in the SeViSSA context;
    
    
  • Partners may need to do better at showing the impact of the work so that others could take on some aspects in their existing strategies;

What is missing?

• Critical consideration of the sustainability challenges, how are the beneficiaries involved in strategy and priority identification?
  
  
  • Balancing the rights and responsibility aspect in the delivery of the interventions.

Implementation Challenges……..

• The context of work on sexual and gender-based violence seems to be driven by events rather than strategy.  This often is fragmented and sometimes organisations allow it because they may consider the possibilities of developing longer term relationships with government and other key stakeholders. Also makes it difficult to hold these stakeholders accountable.
  
  
  • SeViSSA has opened up hope and space and the response from the communities are overwhelming and it puts pressure on the organisations who are not always able to respond or follow up every single case.

• There seem to be exploitation and abuse of SeViSSA partners by some government departments that rush to showcase partners’ work on important occasions and gain mileage out of it yet they do not render any meaningful support towards such work. This is also part of the rhetoric that is at play.

• Too many hands in the cockpit: government, private sector, civil society and religious groups.

• There is a challenge in building effective relationships, and ample room for sharing of strategies among partners.

Emotional impact of the SeViSSA work

• Most of the organisations indicated that there is a need for regular debriefing, but this is not budgeted for currently;
  
  
  • A key emerging question for the programme to engage is, “who cares for the carers?”