CSVR calls on South Africa to improve implementation of gender-based violence policy
In South Africa, the Centre for the Study of Violence and Reconciliation (CSVR) called for improving the practical implementation of policies to combat gender-based violence. The organisation said that the recent murders of women in the Kempton Park and Olifantsfontein areas of Ekurhuleni, Gauteng province, are part of an alarming trend of violence against women in the country.
Problems with case management
CSVR noted that South Africa and the region have laws and strategies to combat gender-based violence. At the same time, according to the centre's assessment, there is a lack of daily and adequately funded implementation of these measures, including to protect women and promptly search for missing persons.
As TimesLIVE reports, CSVR believes that the system already has difficulty properly handling cases even after they are opened. The centre's findings are based on the report “Justice Denied, Silence Maintained”, published in July and prepared following community dialogues in Diepsloot, Alexandra, Tembisa, Orange Farm and Soweto.
More current news is available on the UA.News Telegram channel Telegram.
Statistics and proposals
The report states that women who report violence they have experienced often face inadequate case management at institutions meant to assist them. A nationwide study of nearly 4,000 rape cases found that prosecutors declined to proceed in 31% of cases, while only 9% of cases resulted in a conviction.
According to a separate Amnesty International survey, 81% of survivors did not receive information about the progress of their cases. CSVR proposed increasing government funding for prevention measures, including shelters and community support services.
