Gender-based violence (GBV) is a pandemic that has long plagued South African women. Each day we are faced with terrible news of women dying at the hands of men.
GBV will leave a woman feeling helpless and that is what The Warrior Project hopes to counteract. On the organisation’s official website they explain: “Violence against Women most commonly happens within the home, and is called Domestic Violence. The words ‘Domestic Violence’ refer to physical violence, and also to other aggressive or abusive behaviours that have the effect of repressing the safety, freedom and independence of the victim.
70% of Women experience Physical or Sexual Violence by an Intimate Partner at some point in their lives, reported the World Health Organisation in 2010. More than two thirds of all Women killed in Africa in 2017 were killed by intimate partners or family members, according to a 2018 UN Report.
“The Warrior Project aims to address this by providing information and access to help.”
If you or someone you know is a victim of GBV, there are many formalities that need to be taken which can be overwhelming. First and foremost though, is you need to report the abuse to your nearest police station. The Warrior Project says to take someone with you who can support you.
The police are obligated to help you. This is the list of duties of the police. “If the police don’t help you, ask for the station commissioner and ask to lodge a complaint against the police officers,” says the Warrior Project.
South Africa’s chief legal response to domestic violence is the Domestic Violence Act (DVA). Here are the legal proceedings that are involved in the DVA.
It is important to note that if you are a refugee or an illegal immigrant you can get a DVA protection order. These are your rights.
If you do not have the money to move away from your abuser, to pay medical costs or for household necessities, when applying for a protection order you can ask the court to make an order that your abuser pays you emergency monetary relief.
For other Frequently Asked Questions pertaining to your legal procedures, click here.
If you are in a relationship, here are some red flags of abuse to look out for.
If a someone confides in you about the abuse they have been subjected to, this is how you can help.
For more information, visit The Warrior Project website here.
On Saturday, August 29 there will be a march to #EndTheFemicide outside of parliament at 11 am. Find out more information here.
Image: Unsplash