NTHABISENG MOLEKO | GBV statistics highlight the utter failure of plans to address scourge

As SA engages in the last week of the global 16 Days of Activism against Gender Based Violence campaign, a R1.6bn budget allocation has done little to stem the tide of violent crimes against women and children.

Commitments at presidential summits on gender-based violence and femicide (GBVF) in 2018 and 2022, including the budget allocated to roll out the national emergency response action plan (Erap) in 2019, have missed their targets and crucial interventions have never materialised.

SA Police Service (SAPS) quarterly crime statistics repeatedly confirm that our nation has among the worst levels of rape, murder and sexual offences in the world. Crime statistics for July-September 2023 estimate 100 rapes and 78 women killed daily, with 5,945 murders, 13,090 sexual offences and 10,516 rapes.

Barely two weeks ago the nation was horrified by the brutal stabbing of a CPUT student by her husband in full view of other students in the residence. 

That same week, the alleged rape of three girls under the age of 10 in a Butterworth hostel was being investigated by the Eastern Cape department of education. What we see is a further violation of sexual rights, and this is not uncommon in a nation where one in four girls under the age of 20 give birth to children, some even below the age of 13, according to the World Health Organisation.

Meanwhile, the Erap with its R1.6bn budget has failed to achieve almost two-thirds (64%) of its targets and partially achieved only 15%, according to a 2022 assessment by the Commission for Gender Equality.

Interventions that failed to materialise included clearing the backlog of DNA samples requiring testing so that GBV, femicide and sexual offence cases could be cleared. The harshness in our courts results in victims being further subjected to secondary victimisation in police stations, courts and even hospitals.

Ahead of the follow-upsummit in 2022, provincialsummits were held to assess whether interventions had been successful in reducing rape and violence against women and children. It was difficult to find any measures with proven impact and success.

Government’s austerity measures, announced in both the February budget this year and the medium-term budget policy statement in October, will further cut financial support to NGOs, despite these being key providers of critical support to victims in the absence of the state.

At the same time, the GBV council, intended to oversee and hold the state accountable to its commitments, has yet to be established. Another non-achievement is the inability of the state to prioritise interventions intended to facilitate economic opportunities for vulnerable groups.

Vulnerable women who stay in relationships for economic survival are likely to remain in those abusive relationships. With the current cost of living crisis, combined with the adverse impact of load shedding on economic opportunities, we are likely to see an increase in dependency levels.

Is SAPS and the justice system ready for decriminalising prostitution? Exploitation and violence within the sex industry is proven; the degradation of human rights and the inextricable link with the criminal underworld including human trafficking.

If GBVF is to be effectively addressed the justice system must be properly resourced with expertise, and officials held accountable against measurable indicators. The government can set policies, but the structures that hold a nation together – families – have been destroyed. The extent of the damage we have experienced as a nation requires healing that is beyond any legislation.

■ Dr Moleko is a senior lecturer in managerial economics and statistics at Stellenbosch Business School