Pretoria - A 4.4 percent decrease in the number of sexual offences reported in the past year may be a step in the right direction, but there is still a mountain to climb when it comes to addressing the problem of sexual assault and rape in South Africa.
Unreported cases, a lack of empathy for rape survivors, insufficient safe houses for abused children; and a mistrust of the criminal justice system are some of the major stumbling blocks hampering efforts to reduce the number of sexual offences, say women and children right's groups.
For Eureka Olivier of Bobbi Bear - a group that supports sexually abused children - even one sexual offence committed against a women or child is one too many.
"There shouldn't be any sexual offences. One of the most heartbreaking things to deal with for any women or child is to be sexually assaulted or raped," she says.
Olivier believes that the 4.4 percent decrease in sexual offences, according to latest crime statistics, is partly due to harsher sentences for sexual crimes that are being handed down by the country's courts.
These stiffer sentences are serving as a deterrent, to other would-be offenders, she says.
Bobbi Bear has noticed perpetrators of sexual crimes are being given lengthier sentences compared to the sentences that had been handed down a few years ago.
"Many years ago perpetrators were getting bail and a fine but now they are serving time in jail. Many are receiving lengthy sentences that were unheard of a couple of years ago," Olivier adds.
A good working relationship between police and non-government organisations (NGO) is also helping the cause.
"We work a lot with police and we are building wonderful relationships with various police stations. These police stations make sure that NGOs are called out there to assist when a child is involved."
But there is still room for improvement. Olivier suggests that improvement comes in the form of more places of safety for children. These facilities are currently filled to capacity, she says.
As a result, some children who are sexually abused end up going back to the community in which they were abused and may even run into the person who abused them, if that person is not in custody.
Olivier says there needs to be more facilities available to provide a safe and secure environment for sexually abused children, until such time the perpetrators are arrested or convicted and the child can then return home without fear.
Nonhlanhla Mokwena's concern is the large number of sexual offences that go unreported.
Mokwena, the executive director of People Opposing Women Abuse (POWA), says while the decrease in the number of sexual offences is encouraging, optimism over the figure must be balanced against the knowledge that some women do not report that they have been raped.
"There are a huge number of women who are not going to police stations to report cases because they do not have trust in the justice system," she says.
Other women are put off from reporting the crime because they believe police will not take them seriously or want to avoid trauma they experience when they go through the justice system.
"I know a lot of women who don't report the cases but come to POWA for counselling to try to work through their issues on their own, without the justice system," she says.
Efforts need to be made to finalise cases relating to sexual offences faster. Mokwena suggests the specialised courts introduced during the Soccer World Cup, which proved to be hugely successful with a high conviction rate, be introduced to deal with sexual offences.
Mokwena also points out the need to for communities and family members of those who are sexually abused to be "sensitised".
Women are often fearful of telling their families or communities about the sexual abuse they have endured. The fear stems from not knowing how people will react and the possibility that questions raised by others may make the women feel as if she is the one who did something wrong, she explains.
"It is quite important to sensitise communities and family members regarding sexual abuse so that when women do disclose the abuse they have experienced, their families and communities treated them with respect and dignity."
Mokwena says if communities are educated about the devastating effect of violence and rape and show solidarity to women who find themselves in that plight, rape survivors will feel encouraged, empowered and more likely to report the incident to police.
Police, on the other hand, are also working hard to ensure its members are equipped to deal with complexities and sensitivity that go along with dealing with victims of sexual crimes.
Perhaps the most positive step in this direction, according to advocacy groups, is the re-establishment of the Family Violence, Child Protection and Sexual Offence Units (FCS) - the specialised units that deal with sexual offences.
Disbanded in 2006, the FCS units are currently making a much welcome come back.
Police Minister Nathi Mthethwa says FCS structures were being aligned with the cluster policing model to serve the police stations and best practises, which will see FCS units and NGOs working together, have been identified.
"There is a clear positive impact of these models in the turn-around times, detection and court readiness of dockets pertaining to FCS crimes," he points out.
Police officers have been given clear a mandate that women and children who report sexual offences should not be treated as criminals.
"Instances where such victims are humiliated, harassed and inhumanely interrogated will be a thing of the past because we will have specially-trained personnel who understand the trauma," Mthethwa adds.
Ultimately, police aim to have a FCS Unit at every police station in the country.
