The Department of Women, Youth and Persons with Disabilities has expressed concern over the pervasive “hidden crisis” of domestic and intimate partner violence, which is highlighted in a Human Sciences Research Council (HSRC) report.
Conducted in 2024, the report revealed that one in three women in South Africa have experienced physical intimate partner violence in their lifetime.
“These are not just numbers; they represent the lived realities of millions of women, who endure suffering behind closed doors,” department spokesperson, Cassius Selala said late last month.
The study also highlighted higher victimisation among black African women and women with disabilities.
While national statistics indicate a drop in overall violent crime during the second quarter of 2024, gender-based violence (GBV) crimes continue to rise.
According to the report, between July and September 2024, 957 women were murdered, 1 567 survived attempted murders, and 14 366 were assaulted, resulting in grievous bodily harm. In addition, 10 191 cases of rape were reported during this period.
Selala said intimate domestic violence manifests in various forms, often intertwined and escalating over time – ranging from physical and sexual abuse to emotional, psychological, and economic or financial.
He said recognising these different types of abuse is a critical step in addressing the problem.
Selala also warned that the impact of intimate domestic violence extends far beyond physical injuries, and victims often experience a range of severe and long-lasting consequences.
“The greatest achievements in women’s economic progress in recent decades are potentially being eroded by domestic violence. Intimate domestic violence is a pattern of abusive behaviours used by one partner to maintain power and control over another in an intimate relationship.
“This violence is not limited to physical harm; it encompasses a range of coercive and controlling actions that can leave deep and lasting scars,” Selala said.
Globally, the World Health Organisation estimates that one in three women have experienced physical or sexual violence in their lifetime, most often at the hands of an intimate partner. In South Africa, the figures are particularly grim.
At the end of 2024, the HSRC released the First South African National Gender-Based Violence Study, which detailed the prevalence of physical, sexual, emotional, psychological and economic violence experienced by women in all nine provinces.
To discuss some of the survey’s findings, the HSRC recently hosted a webinar titled: ‘Addressing poverty and inequality as drivers of gender-based violence and femicide (GBVF) perpetrated against vulnerable populations in South Africa: The importance of economic empowerment interventions’.
The webinar focused on poverty and inequality as drivers of gender-based violence and femicide perpetrated against women, including women with disabilities, women from the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer, Intersex and Asexual (LGBTQIA+) community, black African women, and older women (over the age of 60).
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