Women's safety from violence not a privilege—it's a right

Abstract

Since the advent of South Africa's democracy in 1994, there has been a significant increase in activity to combat gender-based violence (GBV) through the efforts of various government departments, the South African police service, non-governmental organisations (NGOs) and academia. Before 1994, domestic violence was not codified under South African law, and abuse of women was often seen as acceptable within the privacy of the home. Today, there is little doubt that GBV is one of the most prevalent social problems undermining South Africa's development, as regularly acknowledged by South African political leadership. But how effective have been the changes in South African legislation over the past ten years, such as the Domestic Violence Act of 1998 and the still unratified Sexual Offences Bill? In this interview, prominent GBV activists Cookie Edwards, provincial coordinator of the KwaZulu-Natal Network on Violence Against Women in Durban, and Lisa Vetten, senior researcher and policy analyst for the Tshwaranang Legal Advocacy Centre (TLAC) in Cape Town, reflect on the successes and challenges to curbing violence against women within the last decade. Christine Davis (CD): What are the primary causes of GBV in a South African context? Cookie Edwards (CE): Violence against women happens because women are denied equal access to social and economic rights and opportunities. Women trapped in poverty are more exposed to violence and less able to escape it. Violence against women happens because we, as society, allow, tolerate and make excuses for it. Safety from violence against women is not a privilege; it is a human right. All women are entitled to be free from violence by state or private actors.