Gender violence can be halved, says speaker

IT’S been proved that the incidence of gender-based violence (GBV) can be reduced by up to half. However, this requires applying well-researched interventions, long-term commitment and sufficient resources and funding. But it can be done.

It’s been done in numerous regions of the world, where it’s shown good results, including Ghana, the DRC, Bangladesh, Pakistan and certain areas of South Africa.

This was the message delivered to more than 200 delegates attending the first day of the Prevention of Violence Against Women and Girls in Southern Africa – from Evidence to Action conference in Johannesburg.

Delegates included civil society advocacy and activist groups, South African and Southern African Development Community policymakers, social and community workers, academics and researchers, and international delegates from Germany, the UN, the Ford Foundation and the UK’s Department for International Development.

Rachel Jewkes, professor and executive scientist for research strategy at the SA Medical Research Council, delivered the keynote address at the opening plenary session. She said GBV was more prevalent in poor communities, and it was there that the lion’s share of work must be done to curb it.

“Violence against women and girls is rooted in patriarchal privilege,” Jewkes said. “It also has its roots in the disempowerment of women and girls. There’s an intimate link between GBV and low levels of education among both girls and boys.”

Although GBV is a global phenomenon, Professor Jewkes said it was particularly prevalent in South and Southern Africa, where up to 70% of females in poor communities become victims. However, work has been done in research offices and in the field to stem the tide of gender-based violence.

The positive impact of this work is being discussed at the conference so protocols can be rolled out – especially in poor areas – to make the region much safer for women and girls.

Impactful interventions, Jewkes said, included deploying trained advocates on the ground to work with families and communities to address the root causes of violence that occurred in specific situations.

This, she said, had shown positive results by opening lines of communication, by addressing mental health issues and by giving both potential perpetrators and potential victims an avenue to help when they needed it.

However, she said, the research showed that such intervention must be regarded as a medium- to longterm solution. “People and communities need sustained support. This is not a quick-fix solution; it demands commitment and resourcing.”

Additionally, if GBV is to be curbed, work must be done to address its root causes. These lie in the economic and social marginalisation of women and girls and in perpetuating the gender stereotypes that fuel violence.

These stereotypes are perpetuated in the corporate world, across public structures, at schools and in places of worship. It’s an ingrained culture that must be addressed, challenged and ended.

Sustained resistance to stereotyping and to economic marginalisation, combined with deploying trained advocates in communities delivered good results, she told delegates. The challenge now was applying this learning across the southern Africa region, resourcing it and putting mechanisms in place for long-term application.

The main funder of the conference is the German Federal Ministry for Economic Co-operation and Development. The German Ambassador to South Africa, Martin Schäfer, said Germany had decided to work in South Africa and partner with southern Africans because of the South African government’s commitment to fighting and ending gender-based violence.

“This is the moment to join President Cyril Ramaphosa’s initiative and stem the scourge together,” he said.