Recent Initiatives to Address Gender Violence in South Africa

The election of a new government has brought a significant change in the official attitude towards crime and policing issues

The election of a new government has brought a significant change in the official attitude towards crime and policing issues. The ANC-led Government is committed to uphold human rights and to the empowerment of marginal groups, and is increasingly becoming aware of the needs of victims of crime. The National Crime Prevention Strategy expresses a commitment to victims, and particularly women and children.

The central importance of addressing the needs of victims of crime has been emphasised elsewhere in the world, and in South Africa these needs have primarily been recognised by non-government organisations. They have tended to focus on victims of gender violence and child abuse, rather than victims of crime in general.

A small number of special police units have been set up to deal with the needs of victims of gender violence, but for the most part, the response of the South African Police Service (SAPS) has been inadequate. Victims` contact with the criminal justice system normally ends with the reporting of the crime.  

Author

Louise Jackson, Intern (1996), Crime and Policing Policy Project, Institute for Security Studies