Women's share of public and private space still under threat
1 June 2017
Violence against women in South Africa has a long and tragic history.
The recent spike in incidents, including deaths of women and children, remains a sad incitement on the country. It mitigates against a fundamental constitutional imperative to endure a safe and equal society for all, irrespective of gender, race, creed and class.
South Africa is weighed down by a mind-numbing statistic that 40% of women will be raped in their lifetimes. Quibbles about whether a woman is raped every 26 seconds (civil society estimates), versus police estimates of a rape every 36 seconds, must not detract from a crisis that has reached catastrophic proportions.
The academic and research communities, gender activists, community-based organisations and broader civil society have contributed mammoth amounts of intellectual and practical knowledge and action to addressing violence against women. However, the scourge continues unabated.