'More than slogans and summits needed to deal with GBV'
A new report launched ahead of Women's Day highlights the role of the economy in the scourge of gender-based-violence in South Africa.
The report, dubbed Women and Politics, was published on Thursday by the 2019 South African Board for People Practices (SABBPP).
One in three women reportedly dies at the hands of their partners in South Africa.
The University of Stellenbosch Business School’s Dr Nthabiseng Moleko, who contributed to the report, says the government’s national strategic is no panacea.
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"There is a risk of failure unless mechanisms to track the true extent of the problem and the effectiveness of the strategies are in place. It is not clear how an effective strategy will be developed in the absence of indices and data to contribute to a national monitoring framework with performance indicators to monitor trends, the incidence of GBV and measure the impact of interventions.”
While the day commemorates the 1956 march of approximately 20,000 women to the Union Buildings in Pretoria to petition against the country's pass laws, the gender-based statistics point to a government and society crippled by an inability to protect women.