By The survey reported high levels of childhood physical abuse experiences among women and men. This is indicative of a generational cycle of abuse.
South Africa is officially now in the 16 days of activism for No Violence Against Women and Children which commenced from 25 November to 10 December 2024, a campaign launched by the Deputy President Mr Paul Mashatile who expressed concern over the high rate of gender based violence (GBV) in the country.
Mashatile says South Africa has been for years plagued by the scourge of GBV, a fight that is still continuing to date. He expressed concern saying the country has some of the highest rate in GBV including rape, Femicide and domestic abuse.
“Statistics South Africa (StatsSA) and the Human Science and Research Council (HSRC) have both reported concerning statistics on gender-based violence (GBV) in South Africa. StatsSA shows 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 Gender-Based Violence 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,” said the Deputy President Paul Mashatile.
In the many cases of abuse, Mashatile pointed out that most of the abuse happens within relationships where couples are cohabiting or are not married, as well women between the ages of 18 to 24 years.
In painting the horror picture of gender based violence in South Africa, the Deputy President said about 1 in 4 women have been victims of emotional abuse in their lifetime. He said 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,” said Mashatile.
The Deputy President said now that they have the stats of GBV in the country, government will use the information to formulate a response to the scourge plaguing the country. He said government will work with all stakeholders in coming up with a workable and implementable plan that will prioritise the needs of the most vulnerable and include everyone.
“This is a national crisis that requires a national response. And I assure you, we are fully committed to taking these findings forward to build a safer, more just society for all. As part of its continuous commitment to combating the scourge, the Cabinet has approved dealing with gender-based violence and femicide as if it were a pandemic,” assured Paul Mashatile.
