Is naming and shaming the perpetrators of sexual violence a sacrilege? The nascent voices of senior female students at a South African University

Abstract

A university is seen as a safe haven for students to engage in meaningful learning and finding their intellectual creativity however, to some, the university has become a den for the infringement of the rights of the female students through sexual violence. Using face to face interviews with senior female students the study shows that there still exists a number of causal factors leading to sexual violence and that there was dearth of awareness and training programs to educate the students on sexual violence while promoting their human rights. Naming and shaming the perpetrator while protecting the victim was recommended. Ongoing holistic interventions that focus in patriarchal beliefs, culture, tradition and sexual violence should be implemented including gender policies.

Key words: infringement, rights, sexual violence, female students, university, education, violence