GBV ‘alive and eating at SA’ — activist

With South Africa officially launching the 16 Days of Activism for No Violence Against Women and Children campaign today, the country still has a long way to go to alleviate crime and the allegations that the country is the murder and rape capital of the world.

This is according to gender-based violence activist Petronella Ntlake, who noted the crisis behind unreported cases.

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“Until we find a way to deal with that, we still have a long way to go before we can celebrate developments or even talk about the failure to capture the extent of under-reporting or control for population size,” she said.

She quoted Lisa Vetten, a research and project consultant at the University of Johannesburg, in her analysis, Rape, time & place: How to understand SA’s geography of violence. It noted that violence had a geography.

Ntlake said the crisis was still “alive and eating at SA”. “There aren’t any good developments actively happening, it’s even sad that you’re saying now even men are victims of GBV [gender-based violence], I just hope it doesn’t also become a crisis.”

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Her comments come after the fourth annual Violence Survey launched by RCS. The results of the 2023 survey reveal key insights into the impact of violence on South African communities and businesses.

According to Sandi Richardson, HR executive at RCS, the results paint a picture of declining violence across several key categories.

“While this is a positive development, the impact of violence on the well-being of communities and the mental health of employees remain a deep concern.”

Richardson highlighted the profound impact of violence in South Africa, emphasising its wide-ranging effects on individuals as community members, family members, and employees.

Men affected too

Siphathisiwe Dhlamini, conflict resolution and peace-building expert at the Whitaker Peace and Development Initiative, said in 2023, women reported an overall decrease in the impact of violence on their day-to-day lives and livelihoods.

However, for the first time, this year’s survey also included a key focus on the impact of GBV on men in these communities. “To this end, the survey found that 42% of men in 2023 experienced GBV.

“The data also suggests that males in larger households are more likely to experience GBV and that compared with female counterparts, the nature of GBV is more likely to be a threat for money rather than sexual assault,” said Dhlamini.

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“Additionally, the results found that men are six percent more likely to be threatened with a weapon and two percent more likely to be kidnapped or abducted than women.

“We draw great inspiration from the fact that more awareness on what can be done to combat the scourge of gender-based violence is producing tangible results on the ground.

“Our work in South Africa is particularly geared towards tackling the root cause of violence by addressing issues such as youth unemployment, poverty and the need for peace in communities,” said Dhlamini.

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However, Ntlake said that while violence had no gender, more emphasis was placed on women and children because this is where statistics have been a growing concern over the years.

Thato Kodung, a researcher in sexual harassment, rape and femicide, said government should now prioritise more targeted action in setting up appropriate systems to protect its citizens.

“We are accelerating actions to end gender-based violence and femicide. We are leaving no-one behind, the Acts [on GBV] are not working,” she said.

“A call to action to raise awareness about the devastating impact that gender-based violence and femicide has on women, children, and the entire social fabric is just not enough. “We need more to be done,” said Kodung.