The Relevance of Theology and Legal policy in South African society in connection with violence against women

Doniwen Pietersen

doi:10.4102/tv.v45i1.120

Abstract

The theological question raised in this article violence against women theologically, drawing and incorporating the South African government’s response to it in terms of legislation and policing strategies and the need for greater participation of communities to combat gender-related crimes. The caretaker approach of the church as the custodian of the Hebrew Bible was also highlighted. Even though a church-based care approach may be limited, it still has the potential to support the efforts of law-enforcement agencies. When women in communities do not feel safe and fear violence at the hands of men, they are forced to resort to the state to provide protection. Crime, including crime against women, draws on insecurities about the level of safety and well-being in communities. It cannot be prevented or eliminated by the police alone but by the concerted collaboration of the private sector, NGOs, faith-based organisations such as churches and the community itself.

Highlights

The numbers are ever increasing and yet violence against women is still regarded as a private affair, with only 3.9% of women reporting these crimes to the police
Some critics claim that the South African Police Service’s (SAPS) statistics are inadequate as they do not give an accurate depiction of the full scale of gender-based crimes (Mpani & Nsibande 2019:8)
According Krug et al (2019:13), violence against women is still regarded as a private affair, with only 3.9% of women reporting this crime to the police because of the stigma of singling out men whom they know personally, usually their boyfriends or husbands

Summary

Introduction

South Africa’s female homicide rate in 2020 was five times the global rate. The numbers are ever increasing and yet violence against women is still regarded as a private affair, with only 3.9% of women reporting these crimes to the police. some critics claim that the South African Police Service’s (SAPS) statistics are inadequate as they do not give an accurate depiction of the full scale of gender-based crimes (Mpani & Nsibande 2019:8). According to Smith et al (2004:82), there seems to be a lack of partnership between the police and communities because partnerships are either broken or non-existent This is an area that needs to be improved: At the crux of partnerships involving law enforcement agencies is the belief that reducing crime and disorder requires the coordinated, concentrated effort of individuals and organisations affected by and concerned with the problem of violence against women. McClure (2012:269) posited, ‘a form of religious engagement aimed at integrating theory, theology and practice within the context of a faith community’ is necessary in order to bring healing to https://theologiaviatorum.org women who have fallen victim to abuse Healing this approach includes guiding people on issues related to sin, suffering, healthy Christian doctrine, understanding ‘that men and women are created in God’s image’ (Van Arkel 2000:148), nurturing a balanced view of Scripture and formulating liberating gender-inclusive language. Approaches of this kind all underwrite to enable a healthy, empowering attitude towards women to prevail to curb violence against them

A Hermeneutic of caring for vulnerable and abused women

Findings

Conclusion