RESEARCH FINDINGS
HEALING FROM GENDER- BASED VIOLENCE IN SOUTH AFRICA An exploratory view of the landscape, examining barriers, perceptions and healing practices.
South Africa is consistently represented within the top three countries in the world for its rates of gender-based violence and femicide (GBVF). Following extreme public pressure, in 2018, the first Presidential Summit on GBVF was convened in Johannesburg, and it seemed that GBVF had finally received the attention it deserved. The Covid-19 pandemic, however, disrupted and delayed the implementation of the government’s formal response to GBVF, and exacerbated the pre-existing social inequities that allow GBVF to flourish in South African contexts. Currently referred to by President Ramaphosa as the “second pandemic”, GBVF remains a severe public health issue which profoundly undermines the achievement of gender (and human rights) equality. A study by Mental Wellness Initiative (MWI) revealed a population in extraordinary pain, with extremely limited access to decent helping services and inconsistent policing and justice services. However, it also provided a wealth of surprising insights into perceptions of traditional healing methods, the role played by stigma and the potential for GBV responsive programming aimed at men.
November 2023 | Collective Action Magazine
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