Pretoria: The Department of Women, Youth and Persons with Disabilities has emphasized the critical importance of addressing gender-based violence and femicide (GBVF) as one of the most pressing human rights and social justice issues confronting South Africa today.

According to South African Government News Agency, the department highlighted persistent challenges faced by victims and survivors in obtaining justice, including stigma, secondary victimisation, slow judicial processes, and inadequate support services. It stressed that access to justice for GBVF victims and survivors is not only a constitutional right but also a moral necessity. The department called for the empowerment of victims and survivors to report abuse in safe environments, ensuring thorough investigations and accountability for perpetrators.

The government, alongside civil society and social partners, bears the collective responsibility to make justice accessible, victim-friendly, and survivor-centred. This involves expanding specialised
GBVF courts, improving police services, enhancing free legal aid, and providing psychosocial support. Additionally, there is a focus on training all service providers within the criminal justice system, including police, prosecutors, magistrates, intermediaries, court preparation officers, court clerks, and healthcare providers, to manage cases with sensitivity and professionalism. Ensuring the availability of protection services and shelters, particularly for vulnerable groups such as women, children, and individuals with disabilities, is also a priority.

The department underscored the importance of awareness campaigns to rebuild social cohesion and dispel misconceptions about the justice system, ensuring communities are informed about their rights and the avenues for justice. It affirmed that no victim or survivor should suffer in silence or face revictimisation by systems intended to protect them. Breaking the cycle of GBVF requires a justice system that is accessible, fair, and firmly committed to ending
impunity.

As a nation, South Africa reaffirms its commitment to improving justice access for all GBVF victims and survivors. There is a collective duty to create a society where victims and survivors are safeguarded, perpetrators are accountable, and the rights of women and girls are defended and upheld.