The approach of the operation's work revolves around the use of a teddy, called 'Bobbi Bear'. Bobbi Bear is given to child victims at the police station and helps them express and demonstrate exactly what happened to them, without having to touch their own body.

"The child is also able to draw on the bear with a felt-tip pen. All this enables a rapid assessment of whether or not penetration of the victim occurred so that anti-retroviral drugs may be administered if necessary. Later, the bear is used as evidence in the courtroom. The child gets to take home a new, different coloured bear as a 'friend'."

The work of Operation Bobbi Bear is done by specially trained Child Safety Officers. The Child Safety Officer is a support for the child from the moment the Rescue Centre is alerted to the crime, until after the case is over – which may take anything from nine months to four years. The Child Safety Officers give clients and their families practical help, counselling, support during the physical checks as well as medical and legal advice.

Operation Bobbi Bear runs four programmes:

Development Issues

Children, Women, Rights

Each week, the programme takes on an average of three new child sexual abuse cases, makes over twenty referrals of cases, which do not fall within its operational scope, and facilitates about twenty police de-briefings for child abuse cases. This type of work started in 1992, but Operation Bobbi Bear was only legally constituted as an organisation and registered under the NPO Act in 2000.

The aim of the operation was to ensure accurate docketing and clear legal evidence in child rape cases, without in any way compromising on the care and support for the victim."Subsequently, the idea of using toys to improve communications while providing a safe and supportive environment for the child emerged."