Victims of serious crimes meet their attackers
The Boksburg Correctional Services in partnership with Khulisa Social Solutions (KSS), and Restorative Justice Centre (RJC), recently held a Victim Offender Mediation (VOM) Dialogue in Boksburg.
The dialogue follows each of the offenders approaching a social worker or psychologist with a request to meet with the victim and/or the family of the victim.
The project focuses on the needs of both the victims and the offenders, as well as the involved community.
Victims, thus, take an active role in the process, while offenders are encouraged to take responsibility for their actions and seek ways to repair the harm that they have inflicted.
All the participating offenders were eligible for parole within the next one to two years and, thus, through the dialogue have progressed significantly on their own path to rehabilitation.
During the dialogue process, offenders reported feeling relieved at being afforded the opportunity to make amends, and the victims expressed a new-found freedom that saw them transition from victims of crime to victors.
The professional team of social workers and psychologists reported that the first phase of the VOM experience contributed significantly to fulfilling the objectives of the offenders’ rehabilitation path, a requirement of the Department of Correctional Services.
According to Phillemon Mosala of Khulisa, following a long established relationship with the Department of Correctional Services, KSS approached the Boksburg Correctional Services a while ago to undertake a pilot project in VOM.
Khulisa is a national non-profit organisation (NPO) that inspires, empowers and enables vulnerable children, youth and communities to unlock their potential and develop skills towards a positive future.
The organisation’s work is based on knowing that one’s past and circumstances do not have to determine one’s future and potential.
“For over 18 years, Khulisa has responded to certain gaps, created by the formal justice system that have led to growing public dissatisfaction and frustration through its collaborative approach to resolving the devastating consequences on victims, their families and offenders,” says Mosala.
To find out more about Khulisa, you may contact the organisation on 011 880 0037. Alternatively, visit their website at www.aprio.co.za. – @FanieBoksburg
