Spotlight on GBV action plan

Government and civil society continue to forge a collaborative approach to ensure the implementation of the National Strategic Plan on Gender-Based Violence and Femicide (GBVF-NSP). 

Launched in April 2020, the GBVF-NSP has six pillars, including accountability, coordination and leadership; prevention and rebuilding; justice, safety and protection; response, care support and healing; economic power, and research and information.

Women, Youth and Persons with Disabilities Deputy Minister, Nokuzola Tolashe, said the department has already made a submission requesting that GBVF be dealt with as a pandemic, with President Cyril Ramaphosa committing to the call during the State of the Nation Address.

“Since the launch of the National Femicide Prevalence Survey in March 2022, the department has reaffirmed its willingness to confront GBVF with unwavering determination through a multi-stakeholder and intergovernmental approach, with the ultimate goal of ending gender-based violence,” Tolashe said.

Tolashe said GBVF continues to plague the country, despite some progress being made to curb it.

“As a widespread occurrence, GBV continues to spread its ugly legs and it is deeply rooted in communal structures, such as homes, churches and workplaces.”

She argued that GBV and femicide are structural issues fuelled by inequalities that cut across race, class, gender, sexuality and age. 

“Women in third world countries are more likely to experience gender-based oppression perpetuated and motivated by patriarchal customs. When poverty and lack of jobs or economic empowerment opportunities are present, GBVF is likely to be exacerbated,” the Deputy Minister said. 

As part of the two-year goal set by the GBVF Presidential Summit in 2022 to implement the National Strategic Plan, Tolashe said there is a proposal to establish local economies centred on women cooperatives, supported by local institutions. 

“This initiative can bolster government endeavours to combat GBVF, empowering women and persons with disabilities to break free from economic dependence,” Tolashe said. 

The World Bank said GBVF is a global pandemic that affects one in three women in their lifetime. 

“GBV is not only devastating for the survivors of violence and their families, but also has significant social and economic costs to the country’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP),” the World Bank stated. 

KPMG, a global network of professional firms providing audit, tax and advisory services – said GBV costs South Africa between R28.4 billion and R42. 4 billion per year (or between 0.9% and 1.3% of GDP annually), resulting in individuals and families bearing the greatest proportion of costs. – SAnews.gov.za