Exploring the ramifications of ineffective social work services rendered to the survivors of domestic violence in Duncan Village Township, East London in Eastern Cape

Abstract

Domestic violence is a global phenomenon that affects various communities regardless of status this may be caused by different reasons including different socioeconomic factors. Women experience and suffer from domestic violence in different ways however this affects not only survivors of domestic violence but also children who witness domestic violence in their households. As much as this issue is known worldwide most survivors of domestic violence still receive ineffective intervention from social workers and that leads to more issues faced by survivors of domestic violence. As such the study aimed to explore the ramifications of ineffective social work services rendered to the survivors of domestic violence in Duncan Village East London in the Eastern Cape. The study adopted the qualitative research method the interpretive paradigm was used to gain an in depth understanding of the experiences of different participants on the same topic and a phenomenological research design was used in the study. Survivors of domestic violence and social workers were the target population of the study which consisted of thirteen participants nine survivors of domestic violence and four social workers that were selected using purposive sampling. The initial number of participants was fifteen which included ten survivors of domestic violence and five social workers however due to the limitations of the study it ended up being the total of fifteen. Data was collected face to face with the aid of a semi structured interview guide. The researcher used interpretive phenomenological analysis to analyse the data. The findings of the study revealed that most survivors of domestic violence from Duncan Village have limited knowledge about the available Victim Empowerment Programme VEP in their area this makes it hard for them to access help because they do not know where to seek help. Many survivors of domestic violence experience revictimisation because they continue to stay with their perpetrators as they do not have any place to run to. Duncan Village lacks shelters to keep survivors of domestic violence and children. There is a lack of programmes like awareness campaigns to assist the community with all the issues around domestic violence and Gender Based Violence. The study concluded that social work services are ineffective in a way that social workers are unable to provide some basics needs or primary assistance like awareness campaigns to the community members unethical conduct by social workers lack of accountability and unprofessionalism and this affects the survivors of domestic violence. The ineffectiveness may be caused by different factors for example lack of resources and other factors that hinder the performance of social workers. All this results in people losing hope and expectations from social workers and their services the continuation of domestic violence the disturbance in the normal functioning of the survivor behaviour and wellbeing. Based on the conclusion it is recommended that the state should pay attention and invest in intervening on the issue of domestic violence in every community equally no community should be overlooked. Every town should have shelters that keep survivors of domestic violence and children more especially in townships that are known for high crime rates including domestic violence. The Department of Social Development should provide efficient resources and ensure the safety of social workers during community service deliveries. Awareness campaigns and VEP must be made visible to the community members and become programmes that are run regularly. Social workers must be trained and regularly assessed.Thesis (MSoc Sci) -- Faculty of Social Sciences and Humanities, 202