Women in Trouble? A Critical Reflection on the Major Hindrances to Addressing Gender Based Violence in South Africa

Abstract

Gender-Based Violence (GBV) is a global phenomenon affecting various countries including South Africa. Contextually, it is any violent act committed against the will of women and girls because of their gender and negatively affects their psychological and physical health and development. In South Africa, statistics are worrisome. It is in this context that this article explores GBV in South Africa from an Afrocentric point of view. It is argued that there are various legal frameworks that were instigated to do away with GBV, although there are still various societal and systemic hindrances to the progressive eradication of GBV in South Africa. The Afrocentric theoretical approach was adopted in this article as the issue at hand is a South African problem. By deploying a qualitative research approach as document analysis, the author provides a comprehensive analysis of the current level of GBV and presents policy recommendations to deal with GBV in South Africa.