Sex Trafficking as a Form of Gender-Based Violence Against Women: Lessons from South Africa and Uganda

2021 ◽  
pp. 179-223
Author(s):  
Annette Lansink ◽  
Zahara Nampewo
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
Violence Against Women ◽  
Sex Trafficking ◽  
Gender Based Violence ◽  
Gender Based

Evaluating government's communication strategy of the 16 Days of Activism campaign for No Violence Against Women and Children in South Africa

2020 ◽  
Vol 9 (4) ◽  
pp. 219-241
Author(s):  
Mutambuli J. Hadji
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
Violence Against Women ◽  
Diffusion Of Innovation ◽  
School Curriculum ◽  
Economic Consequences ◽  
Communication Strategy ◽  
Survey Method ◽  
Gender Based Violence ◽  
Women And Children ◽  
Gender Based

This article aims to evaluate government's communication strategy and citizens' awareness of the 16 Days of Activism for No Violence against Women and Children campaign in Soshanguve, South Africa. The study applied the diffusion of innovation theory because of its ability to assess how communities receive communication about the campaign from various media. Survey method was used to collect data, which was analysed using descriptive statistics. It was found out that mass media and other communication channels were main sources of campaign messages, which help the community to know how to address gender-based violence issues. Notably, this study found that females were more likely to know about the campaign than males. This article recommends that this campaign should be visible throughout the year and there should be more campaigns targeting men, and school curriculum, which educate pupils about the social and economic consequences of GBV.

scholarly journals South Africa Gender Based Violence and the Global Gendered Viewpoint Approach Mechanisms in Building a Peaceful World

2019 ◽  
Vol 10 (2(S)) ◽  
pp. 15-25
Author(s):  
Andrew Osehi Enaifoghe
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
Violence Against Women ◽  
Gender Discrimination ◽  
Economic Effect ◽  
Gender Violence ◽  
Peace Building ◽  
Gender Based Violence ◽  
Individual Level ◽  
Peace And Security ◽  
Gender Based

This study looks at the prevalence of gender violence in South Africa particularly, and argues to support a gendered perspective as an approach with the inclusion of women in an effort to address or resolve violence against women. The UNSCR-1325 reaffirmed the significance of gender integration at all levels of peace and security agenda, the purpose underlined in the declaration shows a slow affirmation among international organisations. The effect of gender based brutality is a significant human rights infringement with real social and formative effects for overcoming viciousness. On an individual level, sexual based violence can lead to mental injury, and can have both psychological social and physical ramifications for survivors. Therefore, the argument set forward in support of a gendered viewpoint to deal with violence and peace-building originated from a classified arrangement of political characters, from a collection of controls, with various political sentimentalities and distinctive prescribed techniques for conflicts intervention. Furthermore, the global gendered perspective intervention is also assessed as a strategy by exploring various approaches to deal with global gender-based conflict. The approaches are considered instrumentalist in their various approaches, as they consider women to be instrumental in accomplishing a maintainable peace, but dismissing the issue of how peace can improve the situation of violence against women, and not taking into consideration the issues of gender based violence. This tremendously fails to discourse and address structural disparities and power crescendos or dynamics that underpinned gender discrimination. Findings in this study shows that, there is a need for gendered perspective to address violence and build peace in various civil societies, while taking into account the socio-economic effect of gender violence. Peace and Security plan is goal-oriented and transformative in its discourse. Therefore, it requires women's contribution to fight gender violence at all levels.

scholarly journals Gender-based violence ignites the re-emergence of public opinion on the exercise of judicial authority

De Jure ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 53 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nomthandazo Ntlama
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
Human Rights ◽  
Public Opinion ◽  
Social Change ◽  
Violence Against Women ◽  
Gender Based Violence ◽  
The Public ◽  
Judicial Authority ◽  
The Law ◽  
Gender Based

South Africa is highly celebrated for its commitment to the promotion of human rights. This has also fostered "rights consciousness" among the citizenry which has become of essence for the advancement of the rights of women who had long been in the "legal cold". However, the significance of the "rights concepts" is marred by the extreme levels of gender-based violence against women. The effect of crimes suffered by women raises questions about South Africa's post-apartheid system of governance and the promotion of the rule of law, which is founded on human rights. With South Africa's history, it is assumed that law has the potential to transform societies in ensuring the fulfilment of rights as envisaged in many national, regional and international instruments. Against this background, this paper focuses on the recent shocking wave of the extreme levels of gender-based violence against women experienced in South Africa with the resultant consequence of the agitation of the public on the independence of the judiciary. Whilst it acknowledges the limitations of the law and the challenges faced by women, it argues against public opinion that seem to wither the democratic character of the state relating to the functioning of the judiciary. It also argues that public opinion waters down the assumption about the capacity of the law in generating social change. In addition, the confidence in the judiciary cannot be replaced by invidious philosophies that appear to compromise the independence of the judiciary as envisaged in the doctrine of separation of powers. The argument advanced herein is limited to the rationality of the calls by further raising a question whether safeguarding independence and impartiality of the judiciary should be outweighed by public outrage on gender-based violence. It also does not profess to provide an expert analysis of the interrelationship between law and social change because of the complexities that exists between these areas. Overall, the paper acknowledges and shares the concerns by the public on the elimination of gender-based violence; however, it refuses the indirect consequence of public opinion on the trampling of judicial authority.

GENDER-BASED VIOLENCE AMONGST WOMEN WITH DISABILITIES: A CASE STUDY OF MWENEZI DISTRICT, ZIMBABWE

2016 ◽  
Vol 3 (1) ◽  
pp. 97-113 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tafadzwa Rugoho ◽  
France Maphosa
Keyword(s):  
Violence Against Women ◽  
Community Perceptions ◽  
Gender Based Violence ◽  
Group Discussions ◽  
Women With Disabilities ◽  
Qualitative Research Design ◽  
Disabled Women ◽  
Gender Based ◽  
The Impact

This article is based on a study of gender-based violence against women with disabilities. The study sought to examine the factors that make such women vulnerable, to investigate the community’s responses to gender-based violence against women with disabilities, and to determine the impact of gender-based violence on the wellbeing and health of women with disabilities. The study adopted a qualitative research design so as to arrive at an in-depth understanding of the phenomenon under study. The study sample consisted of 48 disabled women living in marital or common law unions, selected using purposive sampling. Of the 48 women in the sample, 16 were visually impaired while the remaining 32 had other physical disabilities. Focus group discussions were used for data collection. The data were analysed using the thematic approach. The finding was that women with disabilities also experience gender-based violence. The study makes recommendations whose thrust is to change community perceptions on disability as the only guarantee towards eradicating gender-based violence against women with disabilities.

THE SINS OF THE FATHER: GENDER- BASED VIOLENCE IN POST-APARTHEID SOUTH AFRICA

2017 ◽  
Vol 14 (2) ◽  
pp. 57-70 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lyn Snodgrass
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
Black Women ◽  
South African ◽  
African Women ◽  
Gender Based Violence ◽  
Political Issues ◽  
Race And Gender ◽  
Gender Based ◽  
And Gender ◽  
South African Women

This article explores the complexities of gender-based violence in post-apartheid South Africa and interrogates the socio-political issues at the intersection of class, ‘race’ and gender, which impact South African women. Gender equality is up against a powerful enemy in societies with strong patriarchal traditions such as South Africa, where women of all ‘races’ and cultures have been oppressed, exploited and kept in positions of subservience for generations. In South Africa, where sexism and racism intersect, black women as a group have suffered the major brunt of this discrimination and are at the receiving end of extreme violence. South Africa’s gender-based violence is fuelled historically by the ideologies of apartheid (racism) and patriarchy (sexism), which are symbiotically premised on systemic humiliation that devalues and debases whole groups of people and renders them inferior. It is further argued that the current neo-patriarchal backlash in South Africa foments and sustains the subjugation of women and casts them as both victims and perpetuators of pervasive patriarchal values.

Legal and Institutional Functionality in the Protection of Women – Victims of Domestic Violence in the Republic of Macedonia – Present Situation and Future Perspectives

2017 ◽  
Vol 10 (2) ◽  
pp. 131
Author(s):  
Zorica Saltirovska Professor ◽  
Sunchica Dimitrijoska Professor
Keyword(s):  
Domestic Violence ◽  
Women Victims ◽  
Violence Against Women ◽  
Social Protection ◽  
National Level ◽  
Gender Based Violence ◽  
Republic Of Macedonia ◽  
The Law ◽  
The Republic ◽  
Gender Based

Gender-based violence is a form of discrimination that prevents women from enjoying the rights and liberties on an equal level with men. Inevitably, domestic violence shows the same trend of victimizing women to such a degree that the term “domestic violence” is increasingly becoming synonymous with “violence against women”. The Istanbul Convention defines domestic violence as "gender-based violence against women", or in other words "violence that is directed against a woman because she is a woman or that affects women disproportionately." The situation is similar in the Republic of Macedonia, where women are predominantly victims of domestic violence. However, the Macedonian legal framework does not define domestic violence as gender-based violence, and thus it does not define it as a specific form of discrimination against women. The national legislation stipulates that victims are to be protected in both a criminal and a civil procedure, and the Law on Prevention and Protection from Domestic Violence determines the actions of the institutions and civil organizations in the prevention of domestic violence and the protection of victims. The system for protection of victims of domestic violence closely supports the Law on Social Protection and the Law on Free Legal Aid, both of which include provisions on additional assistance for women victims of domestic violence. However, the existing legislation has multiple deficiencies and does not allow for a greater efficacy in implementing the prescribed measures for the protection of victims of domestic violence. For this reason, as well as due to the inconsistent implementation of legal solutions of this particular issue, the civil sector is constantly expressing their concern about the increasingly wider spread of domestic violence against women and about the protection capabilities at their disposal. The lack of recognition of all forms of gender-based violence, the trivial number of criminal sentences against persons who perform acts of domestic violence, the insufficient support offered to victims – including victim shelters, legal assistance, and counseling, and the lack of systematic databases on domestic violence cases on a national level, are a mere few of the many issues clearly pointing to the inevitable conclusion that the protection of women-victims of domestic violence is inadequate. Hence, the functionality and efficiency of both the existing legislation and the institutions in charge of protection and support of women – victims of domestic violence is being questioned, which is also the subject for analysis in this paper.

scholarly journals The Impact of COVID-19 Related Lockdown on the Prevalence of Spousal Violence Against Women in Kurdistan Region of Iraq

2021 ◽  
pp. 088626052199792
Author(s):  
Kazhan I. Mahmood ◽  
Sherzad A. Shabu ◽  
Karwan M. M-Amen ◽  
Salar S. Hussain ◽  
Diana A. Kako ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Violence Against Women ◽  
Emotional Abuse ◽  
Physical Violence ◽  
Lessons Learned ◽  
Spousal Violence ◽  
Kurdistan Region ◽  
Gender Based Violence ◽  
Effective Prevention ◽  
Gender Based ◽  
The Impact

There is increasing concern about the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and the lockdown’s social and economic consequences on gender-based violence. This study aimed to assess the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on gender-based violence by comparing the prevalence of spousal violence against women before and during the COVID-19 related lockdown periods. This study was conducted in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq using a self-administered online questionnaire survey after the COVID-19 lockdown period in June 2020. Data were collected from a sample of 346 married women about the occurrence, frequency, and forms of spousal violence before and during the lockdown period. Significant increases in violence were observed from the pre-lockdown period to the lockdown period for any violence (32.1% to 38.7%, p = .001), emotional abuse (29.5% to 35.0%, p = .005), and physical violence (12.7% to 17.6%, p = .002). Regarding emotional abuse, humiliation (24.6% to 28.3%, p = .041) and scaring or intimidation (14.2% to 21.4%, p < .001) significantly increased during the lockdown. For physical violence, twisting the arm or pulling hair (9.0% to 13.0%, p = .004) and hitting (5.2% to 9.2%, p = .003) significantly increased during the lockdown. Forcing to have sexual intercourse also significantly increased during lockdown (6.6% to 9.5%., p = .021). The concerned authorities and women’s rights organizations should collaborate to enhance the prevention of violence against women. An effective prevention strategy should emphasize recognizing and acknowledging the extent of the problem, raising awareness about the problem and the available resources to address it, and ensuring social and economic stability. Lessons learned about the increased prevalence of spousal violence against women during the COVID-19 pandemic and the need to adopt appropriate strategies to prevent and address it will be valuable for similar future crises.

scholarly journals Exploring the feasibility and acceptability of integrating screening for gender-based violence into HIV counselling and testing for adolescent girls and young women in Tanzania and South Africa

2021 ◽  
Vol 21 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Manuela Colombini ◽  
◽  
Fiona Scorgie ◽  
Anne Stangl ◽  
Sheila Harvey ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
Hiv Prevention ◽  
Young Women ◽  
Hiv Risk ◽  
Clinical Staff ◽  
Gender Based Violence ◽  
Process Data ◽  
Hiv Counselling And Testing ◽  
Gender Based ◽  
Study Participants

Abstract Background Gender-based violence (GBV) undermines HIV prevention and treatment cascades, particularly among women who report partner violence. Screening for violence during HIV testing, and prior to offering pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) to HIV uninfected women, provides an opportunity to identify those at heightened HIV risk and greater potential for non-adherence or early discontinuation of PrEP. The paper describes our experience with offering integrated GBV screening and referral as part of HIV counselling and testing. This component was implemented within EMPOWER, a demonstration project offering combination HIV prevention, including daily oral PrEP, to young women in South Africa and Tanzania. Methods Between February 2017 and March 2018, a process evaluation was conducted to explore views, experiences and practices of stakeholders (study participants and study clinical staff) during implementation of the GBV screening component. This article assesses the feasibility and acceptability of the approach from multiple stakeholder perspectives, drawing on counselling session observations (n = 10), in-depth interviews with participants aged 16–24 (n = 39) and clinical staff (n = 13), and notes from debriefings with counsellors. Study process data were also collected (e.g. number of women screened and referred). Following a thematic inductive approach, qualitative data were analysed using qualitative software (NVivo 11). Results Findings show that 31% of young women screened positive for GBV and only 10% requested referrals. Overall, study participants accessing PrEP were amenable to being asked about violence during HIV risk assessment, as this offered the opportunity to find emotional relief and seek help, although a few found this traumatic. In both sites, the sensitive and empathetic approach of the staff helped mitigate distress of GBV disclosure. In general, the delivery of GBV screening in HCT proved to be feasible, provided that the basic principles of confidentiality, staff empathy, and absence of judgment were observed. However, uptake of linkage to further care remained low in both sites. Conclusion Most stakeholders found GBV screening acceptable and feasible. Key principles that should be in place for young women to be asked safely about GBV during HIV counselling and testing included respect for confidentiality, a youth-friendly and non-judgmental environment, and a functioning referral network.

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