Thursday, April 23, 2009

Expert training - Paarl doctors


During April, MAB hosted a specialised training program for doctors in the Paarl on the forensic medical examination of rape and abuse victims. The need for this training was identified by MAB and was made possible with the assistance of Dr Jacobus Louw (Paarl Hospital - Head Casualty Department).
As with the police, the doctors working in the casualty departments, are exposed to severe trauma, especially with child rape and abuse cases. It is often expected from them to establish a relationship with a child, gain the trust of that child and do a extremely traumatic medical examination of the rape victim – all of this within ten minutes. It is therefore essential that they need to be aware of what they are looking for, how to identify sexual abuse wounds and ensure minimum trauma to the child. The casualty unit at Paarl Hospital sees up to 13 rape cases on a weekend and this training will have a massive impact on the community.
Included in this group was also senior members of the SAPS FCS Units from Cape Town and a representative of Miqlat. The course was presented by one of South Africa’s top forensic experts, Dr Tromp Els, as well as Adv Mark Kenny, National Prosecuting Authority) who assisted with the legal aspects of reporting crimes.
Looking forward, MAB hopes to assists with establishing a one-stop centre close to Paarl Hospital, which will include private waiting areas, dedicated medical staff to conduct examinations and follow-ups, and facilities for the Child Protection Unit and NPA. The aim is to include many of the local role players, like the NPA, SAPS and other NGO’s.

We would like to thank the following sponsors for making this possible:

Lorraine Fieuw Interiors










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