DEPUTY-PRESIDENT Paul Mashatile urged all—government, traditional leaders, faith-based communities, civil society, business, development partners, communities, and individuals—to commit to this fight the scourge of Gender Based Violence (GBV) against women and children.

On Monday the country kicked off the 16 Days of Activism against abuse of women and children campaign which seeks to address challenges faced by vulnerable groups who continue suffering, the campaign will run until 10 December.

“Together, we can make South Africa a country where violence against women and children is nothing but a dark chapter in our past,” said Mashatile at the inception of the campaign in North West..

Statistics South Africa and the Human Science and Research Council (HSRC) have both reported concerning statistics on GBV in South Africa.

Figures from StatsSA show that one in three women aged 16 and older has experienced physical violence, while one in five has been sexually abused.

The HSRC released the results of the first-ever national GBV survey conducted in 2022, revealing that over 33% of South African women have experienced physical violence in their lifetime, while 9.8% have faced sexual violence. Approximately 7.3 million women have experienced physical abuse, while 2.1 million have experienced sexual violations.

The prevalence of physical abuse was significantly higher among black African women who were cohabiting or not married, as well as women aged between 18 and 24 years.

Approximately 1 in 4 women have been victims of emotional abuse in their lifetime.

The survey indicated that most perpetrators are known to the victims. Intimate partners and family members were the most common perpetrators of violence. A high proportion of perpetrators were found to have a history of substance abuse, such as alcohol and drug use.

The results also show that economic abuse is rife, with 13% of women having experienced this violence in their lifetime and 15% of men reporting perpetrations. These are men who withhold earnings, prohibit women from working, throw women out of the house, and take women’s earnings.

The survey reported high levels of childhood physical abuse experiences among women and men. This is indicative of a generational cycle of abuse.

“These data present a bleak picture of the scope of GBV in our society. This catastrophe impacts millions of South Africans while undermining the pillars of our democracy and economic prosperity,” Mashatile said.

Meanwhile, Pule Richard Motseu 24, from Phahong Bultfontein, Free State was this week sentenced to life imprisonment by the Bultfontein Regional Court after he was convicted of rape and aggravated robbery.

The National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) said it trusts successful prosecutions of these GBVF cases will provide some justice and closure to the victims and their families and remove violent criminals from the streets.

Meanwhile, when thousands of young Africans from across the continent were asked by the groundbreaking commissioners of the African Youth Survey 2024 to consider their levels of concern, relating to GBV, the vast majority (75%) of youth reported that they are ‘very’ or ‘somewhat concerned’ about levels of GBV in their country.

This concern rises to near unanimous levels in South Africa (95%) and Kenya (95%), which aligns with the UN reporting the rate of violence against women in South Africa being one of the highest in the world.

Despite greater concern in Kenya and South Africa, youth in Rwanda (47%), Côte d’Ivoire (56%), and Ghana (61%) show the lowest concern for this issue. African youth are also worried about the lack of protection of women’s rights in their country, with almost three-quarters (73%) claiming to be ‘very’ or ‘somewhat concerned’ about this issue.

As with concern for GBV, youth in South Africa (93%), Kenya (90%), and Nigeria (89%) report the highest levels of worry for the protection of women’s rights.

While concern is lower among youth in Rwanda (39%), Côte d’Ivoire (56%), and

Namibia (62%), a significant proportion in these countries still express worry about this issue in their country.

“There is widespread agreement among youth that there are not enough female African leaders and role models (70%), and the extremely high levels of concern towards GBV and lack of protection for women’s rights are likely

exacerbating this issue,” said organisers.

Saturday Star

ntombi.nkosi@inl.co.za