When the GBV campaign hashtags fade, the fear doesn’t
More needs to be done than relying on once-a-year campaigns like Women’s Month to fight gender-based violence. What is needed is a shift from expecting women to self-manage their safety toward systemic accountability, effective law enforcement and active male responsibility.
When the annual Women's Month celebrations conclude, the focus on gender-based violence (GBV) often fades, leaving women still vulnerable to threats. Dr Maryam C Adewunmi from the University of Johannesburg's Centre for Education Rights and Transformation emphasizes that a shift is needed from expecting women to self-manage their safety to fostering systemic accountability, effective law enforcement, and male responsibility.
Women's Month tends to dominate national discourse for a few weeks with marches, speeches, hashtags, and discussions on women's emancipation. However, the conversation quickly quietens once August ends, only to resurface during specific campaigns like the 16 Days of Activism for No Violence Against Women and Children from November 25 to December 10. This pattern of attention is familiar, with the discourse returning to gender issues year after year.
Despite efforts, South Africa remains among the most dangerous places for women to live. Women take numerous precautions to stay safe, but their personal safety measures are insufficient to fully protect them. The fear that women experience becomes a daily language of caution, with many mentally rehearsing routes home, rehearsing mental maps, and constantly checking their surroundings for potential threats.
The issue goes beyond apartheid's pass laws, which explicitly controlled Black women's mobility. Contemporary GBV manifests in various forms, from threats, coercion, stalking, intimate-partner violence, assault, to murder. The underlying issue is power – who determines where a woman can go, what places and times are deemed dangerous, and the conditions under which she can exercise her freedom.
Effectively addressing GBV requires a functioning justice system. South Africa reported 50,511 GBV cases in the 2025/26 financial year, with 30,736 leading to arrests and referrals to the National Prosecuting Authority. However, referral does not equal justice, and successful prosecution is crucial for accountability. Even with a 70.5% conviction rate for sexual offences, there is still room for improvement in investigation, prosecution, and consequences for perpetrators.
Underreporting is a significant problem, with many women and girls never reaching out to the police, never reporting violence, or never involving family members. Sometimes, violence starts with subtle control mechanisms, such as questions about a woman's whereabouts, who will be present, and why she is dressed a certain way.
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