More resources are needed to support gender-based violence survivors as the pool of available resources has shrunk due to the Covid-19 pandemic, People Opposing Women Abuse (Powa) said.
“Thrust into a period of great uncertainty and lost connections, heightened risk of isolation, suicidal thoughts and other ailments have crept into the homes of millions of victims of domestic abuse, sexual violence and other violations,” Powa acting executive director Jeanette Sera said.
A women’s rights NGO, Powa said that between June 2020 and April 2021, the SAPS reported 1 100 cases of assault with intent to do grievous bodily harm (GBH) in which the victim was assaulted by their intimate partner.
“Of the murders reported during this period, 22 were perpetrated by an intimate partner of the victims and 19 by husbands of victims,” Powa said.
For the 16 Days of Activism for No Violence Against Women and Children campaign, which started on November 15 and concludes on December 10, Powa urged people to band together to “stop domestic silence”.
Powa said that, statistically, one in five South African women are victims of domestic violence and more than half of all women murdered were killed by an intimate male partner.
With the Covid-19 pandemic, Powa has adjusted its operations in order to reach survivors and provide them with support.
“When the police statistics indicated a huge spike in GBV, we were alarmed because of the low influx of victims into our GBV shelters. It is then that we realised that needs of survivors had changed and, in many ways, become more urgent because of the isolating effect the pandemic has had on individual households,” said Sera.
Powa said close family members such as brothers of the victims have also ranked high in the most likely perpetrators of domestic violence, with 397 cases of assault GBH committed by a sibling.
“Although research has repeatedly indicated that GBV-related crime is severely under-reported, it is clear from these trends that patriarchy is heavily embedded into the collective psyche of South African homes,” the rights group said.
“Increased socio-economic pressures over the pandemic have contributed to the continued proliferation of violence against women and children.”
Talking about GBV
Powa was calling on survivors from across the country to #DonateYourVoice and tell their individual stories of survival, to demystify the faces and voices behind the statistics.
Powa, in partnership with Joko, once again marked the annual 16 Days of Activism for No Violence Against Women and Children by tackling the issue at its heart.
Survivors who use their voice for change can break the shame cycle of suffering alone and inspire a nation into action that makes a difference, Powa said.
“It is sometimes difficult for survivors of abuse to come out and try to break the cycle of violence. I think for the people around such women, we need to hear her, we need to remind her that it’s not her fault and above all, we need to believe her,” said Sera.
Powa and Joko are calling on those affected by GBV in any form to #DonateYourVoice by visiting joko.co.za.
“Often, when victims don’t speak out it’s because they don’t think they’ll be believed, and we as a society are to blame for that mindset, because, often, women are not believed.”
Powa is calling on survivors from across the country to #DonateYourVoice and tell their individual stories of survival, to demystify the faces and voices behind the statistics. VIDEO: Powa/Joko
The physical and psychological effects of GBV have been well documented in South Africa. Despite this, access to mental health care needed by survivors is scant in the public health system, placing a massive burden on organisations in the NGO sector who try to fill this gap, the organisation said.
Disturbing trends seen in GBV reporting during the Covid-19 pandemic has exposed the intersection between problems in public health care, social welfare and GBV.
“We also call on the government to boost resources towards helping this vulnerable group. As the country moves to recover the economy from the perils of the pandemic, we remind our people that economic recovery can’t be sustained in a broken society,” Sera said.
Celebrating leaps and bounds in GBV legislation
The resounding success of last year’s #EndDomesticSilence campaign promoted the introduction of several amendments to the law which will further the cause of fighting GBV in South Africa.
Powa was one of several organisations that supported and made submissions on the Criminal Law (Sexual Offences and Related Matters) Amendment Bill (2020).
The bill’s proposed amendments aim to extend the ambit of the offence of incest, to introduce sexual intimidation as a new offence and to regulate the inclusion of the particulars of persons on the National Register for Sex Offenders.
The bill also aims to regulate the reporting duty of people who are aware that sexual offences have been committed against children. This legislation will have an extraordinary impact on victims of domestic and gender-based violence by broadening the definition of what constitutes a sexual offence.
For the past two years, Powa has spearheaded campaigns aimed at lending power to women’s voices. In aid of achieving this, R1 from every Joko pack sold goes towards supporting the organisation and its initiatives.
16 Day of Activism: End domestic silence with Powa and Joko to encourage people to #DonateYourVoice
Last year, Joko led a call for South Africans to “End the Silence” on domestic and gender-based violence. This year it has amplified that call by asking for survivors to tell their stories. This year’s 16 Days of Activism campaign aims to hold up a mirror to society, to show that behind the statistics are real people, real stories and real pain that deserves to be acknowledged if society is to be moved to better itself.
The campaign will also include well-loved public figures, including celebrities who will be donating their voices to amplify the call to end GBV. The more South Africans hear these stories, the closer we will get to achieving a collective consciousness that can unite all of us against this plague of senseless violence.