Pretoria: The Department of Women, Youth and Persons with Disabilities (DWYPD) has condemned the ongoing femicide and intimate partner violence which continues to thrive in the country.
According to South African Government News Agency, the department urged families and communities to reject the silence that allows intimate partner violence (IPV) to thrive by reporting any form of violence and to stand united in supporting survivors. The department highlighted the heightened risk faced by women with disabilities, who are significantly more likely to experience IPV and femicide.
The department further called on men across the nation to take responsibility, challenge harmful norms, and become active partners in creating a society free from violence. The ongoing global and national crises of femicide and intimate partner violence result in millions of women and girls being killed each year by partners or family members due to deep-rooted misogyny and unequal power dynamics. Research indicates that every 10 minutes, a partner or a woman is killed.
The department emphasized that gender-related killings, or femicide, are the most brutal and extreme manifestation of violence against women and girls. Recent South African Police Service Crime Statistics Reports reveal that intimate partner violence and femicide remain particularly high in the Limpopo, KwaZulu-Natal, and Gauteng provinces.
The DWYPD leads and coordinates South Africa's multi-sectoral response to gender-based violence and femicide (GBVF). Guided by the National Strategic Plan (NSP) on GBVF, the department collaborates with government, civil society, and communities to ensure accountability, prevention, survivor support, justice, and women's empowerment, transforming commitments into tangible results.