Stop Gender Violence Campaign: Mobilizing Communities to End GBV in South Africa

1. Why

2. Who are we? The “STOP GENDER VIOLENCE CAMPAIGN” (SGVC) is a national coalition of over 90 civil society organisations, aiming to create a critical mass through mobilising communities to stand against gender-based violence (GBV) and creating public and political will to develop and implement a fully-costed, inclusive and multi-sectoral National Strategic Plan on Gender-Based Violence (NSPGBV) in South Africa. The SGVC was formalised in 2014.

3. Structure

5. Key Advantages of having an NSP • Requires a concerted involvement of the local community and civil society, often serving to put pressure on the government to act and ensures that the voices of those directly/indirectly affected by the issue are taken into account; • Includes specific goals and timelines for their achievement; • Provides a financial and budgetary outline, which ensures its effective and realistic implementation. The NSP will overcome the challenges that face the execution of current legislation and policies dealing with GBV, by garnering political will and sufficient resources.

6. So why an NSP for GBV? Set of clear strategic priorities Accountability mechanisms for performance in place Broad-based national consultations & engagements Costed and fully funded Address the gaps & weaknesses of the IPA “Previous plans didn’t work, why would this one?”

7. Why study the economic costs of GBV? Costs – KPMG Report • R28 – R43 billion rand: estimated cost of violence demonstrates the waste of resources that can be more effectively used; • awareness of the costs of GBV to society strengthens arguments for the intervention of government, social institutions and businesses, and provides a reference point to inform the magnitude of such interventions; • since the costs affect everyone, even though the abuse may be private, it brings GBV into the open as a societal issue; • demonstrating the scale of the costs aids the prioritization of relevant policies and informs policy making; and • by understanding the costs of GBV, policy makers are able to more effectively allocate necessary resources to relevant service providers.

8. Integrated programme of Action on Violence Ag Against Women & Children 2013/2018(IPAVAWC) 3. Efficacy of the Department of Social Development’s Integrated Programme of Action addressing Violence Against Women and Children (2013-2018) • Parallel to the NCGBV, an Inter-Ministerial Committee (IMC) was formed, housed under the Department of Social Development (DSD), to draft a national plan to address violence against women and children (VAWC). This led to the development of the Integrated Programme of Action addressing Violence Against Women and Children (POA) in 2013. • Gaps and weaknesses were identified in the Plan

9. Gaps & Weaknesses 1. Despite the fact that the POA is dedicated to addressing VAWC specifically and not GBV as a whole – which is problematic, excluding men and other vulnerable groups such as LGBTI persons 2. The process of developing the POA was not consultative or inclusive. That is, civil society, the private sector and communities were not consulted in drawing up the plan. This exclusion is extremely problematic, as it does not take into account the diverse, yet specific needs of beneficiaries and institutions that form part of carrying out the implementation of the plan itself 3. The POA homogenises all women and all children into two concrete categories; not accounting for any differences between these two groups. Furthermore, the problem of heteronormativity is evident throughout the POA, as it focuses solely on the abuse women and children experience at the hands of men. Thus same-sex violence is disregarded. 4. The plan is not costed. It is importance of having a fully-costed NSP, outlining the costs each intervention necessitates for its implementation and allowing the government to allocate a budget for this Essentially, the formal national process to develop an NSP for GBV has stalled, and so it lies with civil society to work with allies within government and other sectors to advocate for the NSP as clearly as possible, and to push the fight for funding and political accountability going forward

10. GOALS & PRIORITIES The NSP must set out a list of core, achievable and well-defined goals for a specific period. These must include the following: • Reduce GBV incidence • Improve and expand quality of services for survivors of GBV with the aim of reducing incidence of GBV towards almost eliminating the culture of violence in South African society • Expand the resources available for GBV prevention and response • Improve reporting and political and administrative accountability on GBV • Create a detailed, fully-funded budget pertaining to the interventions The NSP can help achieve these goals by focusing attention on 5 strategic priorities over the next 5 years. These priorities are:

11. NSP: KEY PRIORITY AREAS PRIORITY 1: EXPAND THE DEFINITION Create a more encompassing definition of GBV to include all groups of marginalized individuals affected by GBV and not only violence against women and children (VAWC). PRIORITY 2: FILL THE GAPS IN IMPLEMENTING EXISTING LAWS/POLICIES Expand training, resources and accountability to ensure that SAPS, the Department of Health and the National Prosecuting Authority fill the gaps between the law and its implementation. PRIORITY 3: IMPROVE AND EXPAND PSYCHO-SOCIAL SERVICES FOR SURVIVORS Expand investment in and institutionalization of survivor services, especially psycho-social care and intervention. PRIORITY 4: PREVENTION, INTERVENTION AND RESEARCH Significantly increase investment in evidence-based prevention interventions, on individual, community and societal/structural levels PRIORITY 5: ESTABLISH ROBUST ACCOUNTABILITY MECHANISMS AND SUFFICIENT RESOURCES Commit to fully funding and developing the accountability mechanisms required to realize success in all priority areas.

12. Campaign Call for: The SGV Campaign calls for the following: • Recognizing the inadequacies prevalent in contemporary definitions of GBV, the NSP seeks to adopt a modified, more inclusive, and holistic definition of GBV. • Existing laws and policies should be revised, adequately implemented and compliance therewith should be monitored • Expand and ensure the provision of psycho-social services to survivors of GBV • Prioritize funding for GBV research, prevention and intervention programmes • Ensure the existence and sustainability of accountability mechanisms with regards to GBV programmes and the NSP as a whole • A costed and fully-funded NSP

13. Campaign Support Activities: Public Awareness, Community Mobilisation, Policy Advocacy & Lobbying

14. ……. continued • Marches • Post card campaign • Support for survivors of rape on SA Campuses • Participation in NDSD provincial consultations

15. Eastern Cape: East London – 12 & 13 July 2016 • Kwazulu Natal Durban – 14,15 & 16 March 2017 • North West Rustenburg – 28 - 30 April 2017 • Mpumalanga Mbombela – 27-29 September 2017 …….continued • Provincial Consultations