Nothing celebratory for women in their month

August, dubbed as Women’s Month, is supposed to be jubilant. It is a month that should be used to celebrate great strides by women in history in so far as the gender struggle is concerned. The pivotal role by women in the liberation movement in general, key women achievements in all sectors, and groundbreaking moments in our recent history that continue to pave the way for the future of women in society ought to be highlighted in Women’s Month.

This month many women continued to die at the hands of their loved ones. On the streets, there is no refuge, and women continue to experience all sorts of abuse in their neighbourhoods, churches, workplace and every other institution in society.

SA’s gender crisis is a stark reminder of the persisting barriers to gender equality for many women around the world; it seems the fight for gender equality is far from over, unfortunately.

According to reports, the government’s GBV and Femicide Command Centre, a call centre to support victims of GBV, recorded more than 120,000 victims in the first three weeks of the lockdown. Just weeks later in Pretoria, a similar call centre was receiving up to 1,000 calls a day from women and children who were confined to abusive homes, seeking urgent help.

Prior to the pandemic, femicide in SA was already five times higher than the global average and the female interpersonal violence death rate was the fourth highest out of the 183 countries listed by the World Health Organisation in 2016. Evidence has now emerged that suggests cases of violence against women are increasing.

In 2019/20, there was an average increase of 146 sexual offences and 116 specifically rape cases per day, predominantly rape, compared to the same period between 2018/19.

Researchers from the Wits School of Governance suggest that the lockdown measures are likely to be the cause of this increase in GBV, as women were forced to stay home and were left vulnerable to domestic abuse.

In addition, the lockdown has prevented access to civil service groups dedicated to supporting victims of GBV. In SA, reports of GBV are often dismissed by the police who perceive the issue as a private matter for families rather than a criminal matter for the courts. Within our communities there is also stigma associated with sexual violence. Together, these factors contribute to the underreporting of GBV cases. Women, then die in silence, fearing secondary victimisation by police and their communities.

Although President Cyril Ramaphosa has invested millions to strengthen the criminal justice system and provide better care for victims of GBV, many women and children continue to suffer on a daily basis. Moreover, the additional funding has failed to curb the exponential rise in cases of abuse and rape.

Latest crime statistics showed more than 10,000 people were raped between April and June, with many of the victims raped at home. What has gone wrong?

A concerted effort is needed to change the picture. Individuals, families, communities, churches, government, civil organisations, police, justice system, corporate, must all pull together to put an end to GBVF. Sekwanele, it’s enough.