Managing complexities: The experiences of practitioners and support staff members in working with gender-based violence cases at the University of the Witwatersrand

Abstract

Educational institutions are meant to provide individuals with learning opportunities. However, that is not always the case as there are various issues students enrolled in these institutions face including gender-based violence and harm. The focus of this study is on the experiences of university practitioners and support staff members in working with GBV cases. The specific key focus areas included identifying the challenges they face and how they manage these challenges and exploring resources and interventions to support practitioners and support staff members. The study was conducted by inviting practitioners and support staff members who work under the Gender Equity Office (GEO) and Campus Health at the University of the Witwatersrand and data was collected through one-on-one interviews. This study aimed at exploring and analysing the experiences of university practitioners and support staff members at the University of the Witwatersrand and how they manage the various complexities when working with GBV cases. The population of this study were university practitioners and a support staff member who work at the University of Witwatersrand and who deal with and manage gender-based harm and violence cases at the university. The sampling technique for this study was purposive sampling. The data for this study were collected using one-on-one semi-structured interviews. Thematic analysis was a method used to analyse the data. The main finding from this study is that there is a need to have more and accessible debrief and support interventions for practitioners and support staff members. One key recommendation is for the policies in the university to be written in various languages so that they are relatable to every student and staff member and for them to own these polices