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Boston College

Publication Date

Spring 2025

Program Name

South Africa: International Relations in the Global South

Abstract

This study investigates how gender-based violence (GBV) is understood, prevented, and responded to in South Africa, with a focus on national frameworks, institutional practices, and broader sociopolitical dynamics. Grounded in feminist, decolonial, and intersectional methodologies, the research draws primarily from document and discourse analysis—centered on the National Strategic Plan on Gender-Based Violence and Femicide (NSP on GBVF)—alongside a written interview with a professional working in the gender justice field. Despite outreach to over 40 individuals and organizations, direct participation was limited, reflecting wider issues of burnout, institutional gatekeeping, and resource constraints in the GBV sector.

The findings reveal that while South Africa’s policy landscape is ambitious and shaped by years of feminist organizing, implementation remains fragmented and uneven. Structural drivers such as patriarchy, economic inequality, and apartheid legacies continue to shape both the prevalence of violence and the limits of institutional response. Prevention strategies are often siloed, underfunded, and inattentive to the needs of marginalized groups including LGBTQIA+ individuals, migrant women, and rural communities. Survivors frequently define justice in terms that extend beyond criminal prosecution—seeking care, recognition, safety, and transformation. Yet existing systems remain largely carceral, hierarchical, and poorly coordinated across sectors.

This paper argues that meaningful GBV prevention and response requires more than legal reform. It demands systemic accountability, sustained investment in community-based strategies, and the centering of survivor-defined justice. Healing, safety, and equity must be pursued not only through institutions, but through collective, intersectional approaches to dismantling violence at its roots.

Disciplines

Arts and Humanities | Social and Behavioral Sciences

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