Healthier, improved and functioning families in South Africa

The aim of this project is to facilitate access to professional rehabilitation for families who are affected by torture and cruel, inhuman and degrading treatment in South Africa and the African continent.

Several reports point to the shockingly ubiquitous occurrence of torture and cruel, inhuman and degrading treatment in South Africa and the African Region.

It is well documented that this type of violence results in myriad of adverse psychological effects. Not only does it affect the individual – it impacts negatively on family relationships and in many instances, creates and exacerbates violence amongst family members and communities.  To address the needs of families affected this project aims to facilitate access to evidence and clinic-based psycho-social rehabilitation.

Project goal

To facilitate access to best practice, context specific, evidence and clinic-based rehabilitation interventions for families who are affected by torture and cruel, inhuman and degrading treatment (CIDT) in South Africa and the African continent.

Proposed Impact

The key impacts that this project aims to achieve include:

• Increased access to evidence-based rehabilitation services for families affected by torture and CIDT

Proposed outcomes

• CSVR has developed and implemented an effective clinical rehabilitation model for families of torture and CIDT
• CSVR has a fully functional system for monitoring and evaluating its family intervention work and effective processes for continuous reflection and learning and knowledge sharing
• CSVR is working in partnership with rehabilitation service providers and relevant civil society structures to facilitate access to redress for families of torture and CIDT
• CSVR has the structural and operational capacity to implement the requirements of this project

Target group

• Families and children (including forced migrants) who are victims of torture and CIDT under the current South African political regime
• Families of forced migrants (refugees, asylum seekers, undocumented migrants) who were/are victims of torture in their home countries
• South African families who have experienced torture and CIDT during apartheid