The Crime Against Women in South Africa Report by Statistics SA shows that femicide (the murder of women on the basis of their gender), is five times higher than the global average. This means that in South Africa, women are five times more likely to be killed due to gender-based violence.

In an attempt to better understand this poison to society and strengthen the fight against it, the North-West University (NWU), in partnership with the Department of Justice and Constitutional Development, the Commission for Gender Equality and the South African Christian Ministers Council (SACMIC), hosted a dialogue on gender-based violence on 27 and 28 February.

Themed “Where did we go wrong?”, various notable attendees attended the dialogue. They included the executive mayor of the Mahikeng local municipality, Cllr Betty Diakanyo.

A variety of presentations were made, including topics such as what to do in case of abuse, how education can build strong families, what should be the role of civil society organisations in the fight against gender-based violence, and men breaking the silence.

The dialogue also included testimonies from different perspectives, for example that of a survivor, a perpetrator and a victim.

President of the SACMIC, Bishop Daniel Matebesi, encouraged the community to join the movement to end gender-based violence and to join community based victim support initiatives.

“Let’s be part of dialogues throughout the country to allow communities to speak freely about gender-based violence. Let us listen with compassion and without any judgement and offer practical support.”

 President of South African Christian Ministers Council, Bishop Daniel Matebesi, addresses the audience.

Various members of the community attended the recent dialogue on gender-based violence.