Pretoria: Women, Youth and Persons with Disabilities Deputy Minister Steve Letsike has highlighted the role of power relations in the violation of women’s rights. Letsike emphasized that societal conditioning has led men to feel entitled to women’s time, labor, and bodies, perpetuating a cycle of gender-based violence.

According to South African Government News Agency, Letsike made these remarks in response to the first South African National Gender-Based Violence Prevalence Study: A Baseline Survey on Victimisation and Perpetration report conducted by the Human Sciences Research Council (HSRC). The report, released on Monday, revealed that approximately 7,310,389 million women aged 18 and older have experienced physical violence at some point in their lives.

Letsike urged South Africans to take a stand against such violence, emphasizing the importance of reporting incidents to create a safer environment for women. “We have a big task. We cannot fail women of this country, not 30 years later… we can do bett
er,” Letsike stated. The Deputy Minister also advocated for integrating gender-based violence interventions into broader social policies, addressing the links to HIV, economic inequality, and educational disparities.

Highlighting the critical role of science in addressing these societal issues, Letsike remarked, “We need to make sure that science is for the people, [and] we need to make sure science does not leave people behind.” She stressed that the study should serve as a lifeline for South Africa, not just as data. “We must not only raise awareness but also foster prevention, support survivors, and hold perpetrators accountable,” Letsike concluded, calling for data-driven action and resource allocation to combat the problem effectively.