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How do sexual violence survivors who must share common social spaces and mutual social relationships with their perpetrators represent their navigation of a secondary victimisation?
This research explores the way sexual violence survivors navigate their experiences of secondary victimisation when they have to share social spaces with their perpetrator(s). Existing literature on secondary victimisation primarily focuses on court processes and psychological impacts, highlighting...
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| Format: | Thesis |
| Language: | English English |
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African Studies
2025
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| _version_ | 1867613215451512832 |
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| access_status_str | Open Access |
| author | Israel, Jahaan |
| author2 | Bennett, Jane |
| author_browse | Bennett, Jane Israel, Jahaan |
| author_facet | Bennett, Jane Israel, Jahaan |
| author_sort | Israel, Jahaan |
| collection | Thesis |
| description | This research explores the way sexual violence survivors navigate their experiences of secondary victimisation when they have to share social spaces with their perpetrator(s). Existing literature on secondary victimisation primarily focuses on court processes and psychological impacts, highlighting the ways survivors of sexual violence face re- traumatisation in institutional settings. However, there remains limited research on the daily social realities of survivors, specifically their interactions and shared environments with perpetrators, outside of familial contexts. This dissertation addresses this gap by exploring how survivors of sexual violence experience and make sense of these social dynamics, particularly within the context of secondary victimisation. Using qualitative methods, data were collected through in-depth interviews with seven participants who shared their lived experiences. Key findings include the significant impact re-encountering perpetrators has on the emotional wellbeing of victims, social relationships, and how they perform academically; the non-linear nature of the 'aftermath'; and the manner in which victims find solidarity in survivors that have been through something similar. My interviewees shed light on the way e-spaces can be platforms of empowerment (by giving survivors the chance to find community and a place for them to practice their activism) and/or secondary traumatisation (as there is potential for them to be exposed to perpetrators). This study contributes to a deeper understanding of the lived realities of survivors, emphasising the urgent need for supportive interventions that account for the ongoing risks of shared social spaces. |
| format | Thesis |
| id | oai:open.uct.ac.za:11427/42309 |
| institution | University of Cape Town (South Africa) |
| language | English eng |
| last_indexed | 2026-06-10T12:32:36.207Z |
| license_str | Not specified — see source repository |
| provenance_str_mv | Harvested via OAI-PMH from UCTD — University of Cape Town Open Access Repository |
| publishDate | 2025 |
| publishDateRange | 2025 |
| publishDateSort | 2025 |
| publisher | African Studies |
| publisherStr | African Studies |
| record_format | dspace |
| source_str | UCTD — University of Cape Town Open Access Repository |
| spelling | oai:open.uct.ac.za:11427/42309 How do sexual violence survivors who must share common social spaces and mutual social relationships with their perpetrators represent their navigation of a secondary victimisation? Israel, Jahaan Bennett, Jane Sexual violence Social relationships Secondary victimisation This research explores the way sexual violence survivors navigate their experiences of secondary victimisation when they have to share social spaces with their perpetrator(s). Existing literature on secondary victimisation primarily focuses on court processes and psychological impacts, highlighting the ways survivors of sexual violence face re- traumatisation in institutional settings. However, there remains limited research on the daily social realities of survivors, specifically their interactions and shared environments with perpetrators, outside of familial contexts. This dissertation addresses this gap by exploring how survivors of sexual violence experience and make sense of these social dynamics, particularly within the context of secondary victimisation. Using qualitative methods, data were collected through in-depth interviews with seven participants who shared their lived experiences. Key findings include the significant impact re-encountering perpetrators has on the emotional wellbeing of victims, social relationships, and how they perform academically; the non-linear nature of the 'aftermath'; and the manner in which victims find solidarity in survivors that have been through something similar. My interviewees shed light on the way e-spaces can be platforms of empowerment (by giving survivors the chance to find community and a place for them to practice their activism) and/or secondary traumatisation (as there is potential for them to be exposed to perpetrators). This study contributes to a deeper understanding of the lived realities of survivors, emphasising the urgent need for supportive interventions that account for the ongoing risks of shared social spaces. 2025-11-24T09:45:14Z 2025-11-24T09:45:14Z 2025 2025-11-24T09:42:01Z Thesis / Dissertation Masters Masters http://hdl.handle.net/11427/42309 en eng application/pdf African Studies Faculty of Humanities University of Cape Town |
| spellingShingle | Sexual violence Social relationships Secondary victimisation Israel, Jahaan How do sexual violence survivors who must share common social spaces and mutual social relationships with their perpetrators represent their navigation of a secondary victimisation? |
| thesis_degree_str | Master's |
| title | How do sexual violence survivors who must share common social spaces and mutual social relationships with their perpetrators represent their navigation of a secondary victimisation? |
| title_full | How do sexual violence survivors who must share common social spaces and mutual social relationships with their perpetrators represent their navigation of a secondary victimisation? |
| title_fullStr | How do sexual violence survivors who must share common social spaces and mutual social relationships with their perpetrators represent their navigation of a secondary victimisation? |
| title_full_unstemmed | How do sexual violence survivors who must share common social spaces and mutual social relationships with their perpetrators represent their navigation of a secondary victimisation? |
| title_short | How do sexual violence survivors who must share common social spaces and mutual social relationships with their perpetrators represent their navigation of a secondary victimisation? |
| title_sort | how do sexual violence survivors who must share common social spaces and mutual social relationships with their perpetrators represent their navigation of a secondary victimisation |
| topic | Sexual violence Social relationships Secondary victimisation |
| url | http://hdl.handle.net/11427/42309 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT israeljahaan howdosexualviolencesurvivorswhomustsharecommonsocialspacesandmutualsocialrelationshipswiththeirperpetratorsrepresenttheirnavigationofasecondaryvictimisation |