Psychological support for women survivors of Gender Based Violence (GBV): Examining policy and practice in South Africa’s Thuthuzela Care Centres

Abstract

Gender-based violence (GBV) against women is widespread in South Africa, with severe effects on survivors’ physical, emotional, and psychological health. Thuthuzela Care Centres (TCCs), as crisis response facilities, play a critical role in delivering comprehensive, survivor-centred care services, including psychosocial and legal support to women GBV victims. Utilising a theoretical policy analysis approach, guided by trauma-informed care principles and the policy-practice gap framework, this paper critically examines the South African policy landscape to assess the extent to which psychological support for women GBV survivors is prioritised and operationalised within TCCs. Findings reveal that while policies acknowledge the need for psychosocial support for survivors, they often lack detailed, enforceable guidelines for consistent and contextually relevant implementation across TCCs. Challenges such as under-resourced facilities, location, high caseloads, a heteronormative approach and limited access to and availability of trained mental health professionals further constrain the service delivery capabilities of TCCs. This paper argues for strengthening policy directives and contextually relevant capacitation of the TCCs to explicitly prioritise psychosocial support as a core component of GBV response services, supported by contextually relevant adequate resources and monitoring frameworks.

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