by Dr Melanie Stander and Gale Shabangu

South Africa is a country that is notorious for its high levels of gender-based violence (GBV). The SAPS statistics for reported rape cases for 2019/2020 is 42,289 and for sexual assault 7,749 (SAPS, 2020), amid massive under-reporting of rape. Intimate femicide is five times the global average. Studies have shown that a staggering number of between 25% and 40% of South African women have experienced sexual or physical intimate partner violence in their lifetime. In comparison, just under 50% of women report having ever experienced emotional or economic abuse at the hands of their intimate partners in their lifetime. In a study done by the World Health Organization, it was found that more than 60,000 women and children are victims of domestic violence in South Africa.

Survivors of GBV need us to hear more than their words and bring action to their plight. It is time to take a stand, speak out and champion the cause for those who are silently suffering in dire need, afraid to report the harm being done to them. At Mediclinic, we understand that GBV has become a scourge with devastating effects on survivors, families, and communities across our country. We are taking a stand against GBV. We have joined forces with the Ring for Peace Foundation, bringing together private sector scientific excellence, community spirit and an ethos of care.

Currently, Mediclinic  provides additional safe clinical and emotional support for survivors of GBV in the Winelands region. By developing a comprehensive support structure through the programme, Mediclinic aims to support and complement existing GBV initiatives in the public health system, with an interlinked chain of efficiency circles from within the private sector. We also aim to improve awareness of the correct steps to follow to support survivors of sexual assault.

All healthcare workers in the Emergency Centres at Mediclinic Stellenbosch, Mediclinic Worcester and Mediclinic Paarl have received additional, targeted training to receive survivors of GBV in a more supportive manner.  Our Emergency Centres in Stellenbosch, Worcester and Paarl have been prepared to receive survivors of GBV in a caring and holistic way, offering clinical-forensic examinations and counselling services. A vital education and awareness campaign is running concurrently within the nursing community and ER24 teams, and the greater Winelands community.

GBV violates several human rights, including the right to life, the right to equal protection under the law for women and men, freedom from torture, degrading and cruel treatment, the right to equality in the family and also the right to the highest standard attainable of physical and mental health. Both women and men experience GBV, but the majority of victims are women and girls. Gender-based violence and violence against women are often used interchangeably as it has been widely acknowledged that most gender-based violence is inflicted on women and girls by men. The consequences of GBV include increased trauma-related health risks, undermined confidence, physical disabilities, stigma and shame, regardless of social standing.

It is hard to gather accurate statistical GBV data in South Africa because domestic violence is rarely reported. The Commission for Gender Equality (CGE) confirms that the official reported GBV statistics figures do not reveal the true extent of GBV offences in South Africa. In September 2021, the CGE's researchers looked at contact crimes of murder, sexual offences, attempted murder, assault with the intent to inflict grievous bodily harm, and common assault.  The commission noted that contact crimes included categories of offences related to gender-based violence and femicide (GBVF) that currently affect women and girls at high levels in the country.

The CGE found that while these statistics assisted in detecting reporting patterns among victims or survivors, unreported cases of sexual offences such as rape remained concealed. According to the commission, this challenge of under-reporting brings into question the official 12,702 number of cases (5 406 or 74.1% increase) of sexual offences recorded in the first quarter of 2021/22. They state that it is not a true reflection of the reality of sexual violence suffered by women and girls, and the rate could be much higher given the many unreported cases.

Mediclinic understands that part of the battle is awareness and feeling safe to report GBV. With this in mind, our initiative in the Winelands also aims to drive a greater understanding and provision of care, reducing the stigma and shame for survivors and the fear of secondary victimisation. Our Winelands hospitals work closely with external stakeholders to ensure effective continuity of care for survivors. The objective is also to restore the trust in the processes meant to secure evidence and bring perpetrators to book for their actions. In this initiative, we have provided forensic training courses to our EC practitioners and have developed a strong awareness campaign in the nursing community and emergency teams, and then into the greater community as we combat GBV in the Cape Winelands.

The cause of GBV cannot be attributed to a single factor but the interplay of individual, community, economic, cultural and religious factors interacting at different levels of society. It is well known that South Africa has effective policies to address GBV, but the limitation is in the implementation.

In February, President Cyril Ramaphosa launched a private sector-led, multi-sectoral Gender-Based Violence and Femicide (GBVF) Response Fund to support the implementation of the National Strategic Plan (NSP) and the more comprehensive GBVF response in the country. The NSP relies on six pillars:

  • Accountability, coordination and leadership
  • Prevention and rebuilding social cohesion
  • Justice, safety and protection
  • Response, care, support and healing
  • Economic power
  • Research, and information management.

Mediclinic wants to add its voice to the call to action against GBV, driving a greater understanding and providing care in the community. We want to reduce the stigma and shame for survivors. In this way, we aim to restore the trust in the processes meant to secure evidence and bring perpetrators to book for their actions. Mediclinic invites the community to work together to make a safer environment for the most vulnerable in our society. We can be part of the change we want to see.

ABOUT THE AUTHORS:

Ms Gale Shabangu joined Mediclinic Southern Africa in October 2019 as the Chief Transformation Officer. She has vast experience in diversity and inclusion and has served in similar roles at blue-chip South African companies such as Accenture and Vodacom. She holds a BCom (Economics and Taxation) from the University of Witwatersrand

Dr Melanie Stander was in the first group of Emergency Medicine physicians that qualified in South Africa in 2009. She is currently the Emergency Medicine Manager for Mediclinic Southern Africa. She is a past President of the Emergency Medicine Society of South Africa,  a past Vice-President of the International Federation for Emergency Medicine and the founder of the Gender-Specific Issues Special Interest Group for IFEM. She is passionate about system development and improvement in emergency medical care, international emergency medicine and driving engagement around issues of gender equity for professionals in healthcare.

QUICK REFERENCE FACTS AND FIGURES ON GBV:

  • South Africa has one of the highest rates of violence against women and girls in the world. In South Africa, 51% of women have experienced GBV, and 76% of men admit to GBV. Every three hours, a woman is murdered in South Africa. According to data accumulated in 2019/2020, there is an average of 116 rapes per day in South Africa. Source: https://mg.co.za, 4 December 2020
  • Why do women stay with abusive partners? Source: www.joko.co.za
    • Nobody believes her
    • She believes the children need their father
    • Shame and embarrassment
    • Fear
    • She does not know her rights
  • The SAPS statistics for reported rape cases for 2019/2020 is 42,289, and for sexual assault, 7,749 (SAPS, 2020)
  • Worldwide, 7% of women have been sexually assaulted. Globally, as much as 38% of murders of women are committed by an intimate partner. Source: https://www.worldbank.org
  • Globally, violence against women has increased since the COVID-19 pandemic outbreak. Source: https://www.who.int
  • Gender stereotypes are often used to justify violence against women and are considered a contributing factor to GBV. Source: https://www.concernusa.org

FURTHER ENQUIRIES AND REQUESTS FOR MEDIA INTERVIEWS:

Should you wish to use any of the above information or want to interview the authors, please contact Willem Eksteen at Stone on willem@stone.consulting or a Stone team member on media@stone.consulting or call 0114470168

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