By Shanice Sarudi
JOHANNESBURG-SOUTH AFRICA
The topic of Gender Parity has been ongoing for decades. Over the years, there has been a substantial transformation in the inclusion of women in building economies, spanning politics, economics, technology, and other sectors. A plethora of women have managed to create platforms for change, a change that matters!
As women expand their presence, contributing to GDP and positively impacting lives, the long-neglected sensitive issue of gender-based violence and femicide (GBVF) continues to demand urgent attention. In South Africa, where crime is pervasive, it is important to interrogate the factors driving the surge in gender-based violence. Some of the most common factors that exacerbated GBVF cases are: the normalised patriarchal norms that perpetuate violence against women and girls, social violence dating back to the Apartheid period, lack of education, gangsterism, drug abuse, a weak legal system, as well as socio-economic inequality and indigence.
Gender-based violence is an act of violence directed at a person based on their gender. On the other hand, femicide is more direct and gender specific; it is the annihilation (killing) of women, especially because of their sexual orientation. The fierce activism towards the curbing of GBVF is ancient, with modern activism dating back to the 1970s. On a global scale, prominent women such as Elizabeth C. Stanton were among the first to pave the way for women’s rights activism. In South Africa, women like Lillian Ngoyi, a pioneering women’s rights activist and anti-apartheid leader, as well as Sally Mugabe, Zimbabwe’s first president’s wife.
Understanding the “second pandemic”
Let us take a moment to reflect on how far women are willing to go in their pursuit of a safer and better world. On 21st November 2025, a day of pain and fury for millions of women in South Africa, they took to the streets in protest against Gender-Based Violence and Femicide (GBVF). Led by the Women for Change group ahead of the G20 summit, they demanded it be declared a national disaster and called on all women and allies worldwide to join in “Women’s Shut Down,” an enormous protest designed to show the world that women matter. The movement received strong support from the United Nations Women (UN Women) ahead of the 16 Days of Activism, an annual international campaign against GBVF.
The G20 summit took place from 22nd to 23rd November 2025, in Johannesburg, South Africa, where world leaders gathered to discuss global challenges, focusing on themes such as Solidarity, Sustainability, and Equality. The President of South Africa, Cyril Ramaphosa, described GBVF as a “Second Pandemic”, citing the continued rise in such cases. He noted that GBVF will be recognised as “a crisis that needs to be addressed”. Following Ramaphosa’s remarks at the G20 summit, online users were relieved, and while many had mixed feelings about it, they still demanded action and not just words.
Some of the most notable protests against GBVF include the 2019 case of Uyinene Mrwetyana, a University of Cape Town student who was raped and murdered. Her death triggered nationwide protests under the hashtag “#AmINext”. Similarly, in 2024, a then-seven-year-old girl was raped, sparking widespread public outrage. The case gained national attention on social media under the hashtag “#JusticeForCwecwe” only in 2025, particularly as delays and limited action in the investigation fuelled anger and frustration.
Increasing GBVF cases raise major concerns
On a global scale, the number of GBVF cases is escalating inexplicably. While browsing through the database of recorded and known cases of GBVF in South Africa, I discovered that to date, there are over 13,000 cases of sexual offences and attempts recorded annually, according to the South African Police Services (SAPS). What about the unrecorded cases?
While there is a relatively lower rate of child marriage of approximately 1% in South Africa as compared to countries like Zimbabwe and Zambia, the killing, trafficking and raping of minors remains topical and disturbing, as many homes are left with scars and trauma that no therapy can heal. Hotspots for such cases and GBVF in South Africa include KwaZulu-Natal, Gauteng, and the Western Cape, largely due to inadequate security and the lack of immediate response by SAPS when incidents are reported. In a recent post on their social media, Women for Change South Africa noted a major concern about shortages of “D1 rape test Kits” at police stations, which raises concerns as to how sexually assaulted individuals could receive immediate assistance.
The higher rates of GBV alone have records of just 1 out of 10 men who report such cases due to masculinity norms, stigmatisation and fear of emotional instability. Most men are “silent victims”, as I choose to coin it, and that should be a concern as well.
Is GBVF Rooted in Economic Glitches and Political Failure?”
South Africa’s Apartheid period scarred millions of families, leaving the majority in dire poverty. The aftermath created a further drift, a change without change. Reading through the pages of Dambisa Mayo’s book “Edge of Chaos” gave me a different perspective on economic growth. Even though the country shows a modest economic growth, the income inequality gap remains substantial, and this is due to poorly managed economic resources.
I have explored the juxtaposition of economics and politics in shaping today’s GBVF cases. The roots can be evidently traced to a negligent government system under pseudo democracy, even when we speak of representation, women taking up space in politics and socio-economics should have interests in making a difference, such that we do not remain on one point, even long after we are past the topic of inclusivity. High unemployment in South Africa and elsewhere fuels GBVF; a growing economy and strong, corruption-free governance could reduce cases by narrowing inequality.
Furthermore, GBVF topics need to be taken seriously in the education sector to ensure that awareness is raised and knowledge is imparted. An example is Senegal’s “schools for husbands” initiative, launched in 2011 to challenge conservative gender norms and promote reproductive health and women’s empowerment.
Another contributing factor to GBVF is drug abuse and gaps in the military and legal systems, which lead to the proliferation of firearms among unauthorised individuals. In countries like South Africa, it takes longer to apprehend suspects into custody due to ineffective tracking of crime patterns.
“Enough is enough”, the loudest outcry
Women seek a world where they are not persecuted or discriminated against because of their sexual orientation. Women simply want to feel safe, free, protected, seen and heard. The most crucial initiatives are raising awareness and creating stringent laws that protect against GBVF. Italy and Madagascar have recently legalised chemical castration for sexual offenders, aiming to curb recidivism. This has received mixed responses and criticism. Recidivism is the tendency of convicted criminal offenders to repeat the same offences after being released.
