Clear-cut data on GBVF is notoriously difficult to find in South Africa. There are multiple reasons for this which include a reluctance to report GBVF incidents for fear of escalated abuse; desire to keep the matter within the family; an erroneous assumption that somehow victims/survivors deserve to be hurt by perpetrators; the desire to protect perpetrators (who are often breadwinners) from the consequences of prosecution; alleged mismanagement of complaints and reports at police stations; onerous and easily misunderstood processes for filing criminal complaints; and lack of trust in the justice system that perpetrators will, indeed, be held accountable. Additionally, South African crime statistics do not report specifically on GBVF crimes. Femicide, for example, is labelled in the crime statistics as “murder” and intimate partner rape and assault are not specifically noted as such. Recently, a handpicked group of 30 GBVF ambassadors (representing particularly troubled hotspots in six provinces) came together in Johannesburg for a two-day communications training workshop that equipped them with a set of messages so that consistent standpoints about GBVF may be articulated across South Africa and so that there is alignment in how communications about GBVF are delivered. “The causes of gender-based violence are intricate and complex,” says Nozuko Majola, Technical Lead: HIV Social and Structural Drivers at the South African National AIDS Council. “However, the impact of gender-based violence is brutalised people; damaged lives; fear and dread; the embedding of toxic patriarchy and a perpetuated cycle of violence. It’s for all these reasons, and also because of the interdependence between HIV and gender- based violence, that we had to step up, step in and start acting to address this plague in our country.” The causes of gender- based violence are intricate and complex.
South African crime statistics do not report specifically on GBVF crimes. Femicide, for example, is labelled in the crime statistics as “murder” and intimate partner rape and assault are not specifically noted as such For GBV survivors (and potential victims), this is the power that comes from feeling safe from the violence brought about by dysfunctional patriarchy. For perpetrators of GBV, it’s the liberty that comes from using innate physical strength to protect, rather than hurt, other people. Says NICDAM project manager Mamphaka Rapholo: “We have reached more than 100 000 persons since the project started in earnest about a year ago. Gender-based violence is a complex problem that demands Ambassador training focused on communicating about the “intricate and complex” factors that spur GBV in South Africa: gender inequality; the impact of traditional, cultural and faith-based assumptions; the role of various players in the justice system (including the South African Police Service and the courts of law); the role of community bystanders and witnesses; and the significant role that poverty and unemployment play in igniting and fuelling GBVF. At the heart of the communications training was the key proposition of the government’s National Strategic Plan on Gender-Based Violence and Femicide: that all of South Africa needs to move beyond power towards liberation. multifaceted solutions. As a component of our national response to address and counter gender-based violence, there is no doubt that these young ambassadors are doing an excellent job.” November 2023 | Collective Action Magazine
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