Gender-Based Violence
Gender-based violence is a pattern of harmful acts directed at individuals based on their gender, encompassing physical, sexual, psychological and economic abuse. The term covers domestic violence, sexual assault, femicide, human trafficking, forced marriage and other forms of violence disproportionately affecting women and girls, though men and boys can also be victims. Gender-based violence is recognised as both a human rights violation and a public-health crisis, with significant social and economic costs including healthcare expenditure, lost productivity and intergenerational trauma. In South Africa, gender-based violence occurs at epidemic levels, prompting national policy responses including the National Strategic Plan on Gender-Based Violence and Femicide and dedicated funding for prevention and victim support services. The phenomenon is driven by structural inequalities, patriarchal norms, poverty, unemployment and substance abuse, with prevalence particularly high in communities experiencing socioeconomic stress. Responses involve law enforcement, judicial reform, healthcare services, shelters and community education programmes, coordinated across government departments, civil society organisations and international agencies. Research institutions such as the Human Sciences Research Council and the Institute for Security Studies (ISS) track prevalence, risk factors and intervention effectiveness. Gender-based violence remains a priority for policymakers across sub-Saharan Africa, where it undermines development goals, workforce participation and public health outcomes. Addressing the issue requires sustained investment in prevention, survivor support, perpetrator accountability and broader gender-equality initiatives.
Gender-Based Violence Updates
Daily Podcast – October 08, 2026
By: Thabi Shomolekae 8th October 2026 Making headlines: Gauteng DA leads march against GBV, demands action; South Africa needs more resilience to climate change; And, Ethiopia names... →
Gauteng DA leads march against GBV, demands action
By: Thabi Shomolekae 8th October 2026 More than 2 000 DA supporters marched through Tshwane on Thursday to demand immediate government action against gender-based violence and murder in... →
Mining industry commits to investing more in combating GBV in South Africa – Dunne
By: Schalk Burger 8th October 2026 The member companies of mining industry organisation the Minerals Council South Africa have committed to combating gender-based violence (GBV) and... →
South Africa needs more than a five-point plan to prevent violence
By: ISS, Institute for Security Studies 7th October 2026 Violence against women is more likely to be reduced if violence among boys and among men is not accepted as normal and inevitable. The 9 September... →
The City’s GBV and Femicide Strategy must deliver more than words
2nd October 2026 The DA wants the City of Johannesburg’s adopted Gender-Based Violence and Femicide (GBVF) Strategy to be redrafted to include measurable targets... →
Ecowas Court and women’s rights in west Africa: what’s working – and what isn’t
2nd October 2026 The Ecowas Court is a west African regional body located in Abuja, Nigeria, serving the now 12-nation Economic Community of West African States... →
GBV crisis in Northern Cape demands action, not another audit
1st October 2026 The discovery of a woman’s body in a shallow grave inside a shack in Lerato Park, Kimberley, yesterday, alongside reports of the horrific gang rape... →
SA: Cyril Ramaphosa: Address by South African President, at the 26th National Teaching Awards, Birchwood Hotel and Conference Centre, Ekurhuleni (01/10/2026)
1st October 2026 I asked many questions and, from time to time, challenged my teachers on some of the subjects they were teaching. I did not do so out of... →
President’s little-too-late address sidesteps the criminal justice failures leaving women and children vulnerable
30th September 2026 The President’s address to the nation was a little too late an attempt to respond to the consequences of the failure of our government to build a... →
South Africa: Immediate measures on GBVF come seven years too late
30th September 2026 In response to President Cyril Ramaphosa’s address on the national response to gender-based violence and femicide (GBVF), Amnesty International... →
