Research knowledge base for GBV questions, methods, and service pathways
This is now a research knowledge base rather than a simple FAQ. Search across the published corpus, filter by research lens, and move directly into the source material behind each answer.
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210
Curated answers grounded in public South African GBV, justice, and support sources.
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Methods
Study design, methodology, definitions, and how the evidence was assembled.
Service pathways
How people move through hospitals, police, shelters, courts, and referral systems.
Risk factors
Drivers of violence, vulnerability, exposure, and intersectional risk patterns.
Legal process
Rights, reporting, police procedure, court process, and legal protections.
Survivor support
Healing, counselling, trauma-informed support, and practical care for survivors.
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Service pathways
2 entriesHow people move through hospitals, police, shelters, courts, and referral systems.
Rape Crisis materials emphasise that the first 72 hours can be especially important for medical treatment such as HIV prevention and for collecting forensic evidence. Survivors should still seek help after that window, but early care can expand immediate options.
Rape Crisis guidance recommends paper, cloth, or newspaper instead of plastic when storing clothing after rape. The point is to better preserve possible forensic evidence rather than trapping moisture in a way that can damage it.
Research lens
Risk factors
1 entryDrivers of violence, vulnerability, exposure, and intersectional risk patterns.
Survivor guidance from Rape Crisis stresses that clothing and other physical evidence can help document what happened if a survivor later chooses to pursue a case. Preserving evidence is not about proving worthiness for care; it is about keeping options open while the survivor regains control.
Research lens
Legal process
3 entriesRights, reporting, police procedure, court process, and legal protections.
Rape Crisis advises getting to a place of safety and seeking medical help as soon as possible. Its survivor guidance also emphasises the importance of preserving forensic evidence if the survivor may want to report later, while making clear that medical care should not depend on an immediate decision to lay a charge.
Yes. Rape Crisis guidance makes clear that survivors should seek medical care as soon as possible even if they are not ready to decide about laying a criminal charge. Treatment and evidence preservation may still be important while the survivor decides what they want to do next.
Rape Crisis survivor guidance notes that the first person a survivor tells about the rape may later be relevant as a witness in court. That is why it can matter to keep that person's details where possible if the survivor thinks they may report later.