South Africa commemorates August as Women’s Month with grim reminder that the most dangerous place for a woman on the continent is her own home.
This is according to a statement by Warrior Project, a web portal and in reference to the latest UN Global Study on Homicide: Gender-related Killing of Women and Girls 2018. The portal provides access to free information and resources to domestic violence and gender-based violence.
The reports stated, “Women killed by intimate partners or family members account for 58 per cent of all female homicide victims reported globally and 69 per cent female homicide victims in Africa in 2017. “The findings show that even though men are the principal victims of homicide globally, women continue to bear the heaviest burden of lethal victimisation as a result of gender stereotypes and inequality.”
Also, it (the report) said it’s a sad reality that violence against women is not only rife in public and outdoor spaces but indeed in their private spaces, their homes
and their relationships which should safeguard their physical and emotional wellness and where they ought to feel most protected and safe.”
Founder of the portal, Yvonne Wakefield said that one of the biggest problems was the culture of secrecy which results in very low awareness of the problem, the rights of victims and the resources available to help them. “The first step is to bring the topic out into the open, to have the conversations and to speak about our rights and what should be tolerated.”
She conceded that domestic abuse and violence are multi-faceted and a pervasive social problem which requires interventions at many levels but maintained that providing basic access to information and encouraging the bravery to have conversations was an important first step.
The portal also targets the police, counselling services and shelters and other free legal helplines.
Details: www.thewarriorproject.org.za
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