Virginia Francis | GBV Lead | Tshikululu Social Investments | mail me |
South Africa has built one of the continent’s strongest Gender-Based Violence and Femicide (GBVF) response systems. The next step, however, needs to focus on prevention, with business firmly and deliberately taking a defining role.
Statistics from the Human Sciences Research Council show the extent of South Africa’s GBVF crisis. One in three South African women have experienced physical and/or sexual violence in their lifetime. One in four have experienced emotional abuse, and more than half have experienced controlling behaviour.
GBVF prevention demands a collective investment
Over the past decade, South Africa has intensified its policy and societal response to GBVF through initiatives and programmes that have undoubtedly saved countless lives. These include the tireless work of civil society, the establishment of the first dedicated rape management centres known as Thuthuzela Care Centres (TCCs) and, more recently, the National Strategic Plan on GBVF.
The first TCCs were developed more than two decades ago. They followed research into the experiences of sexual assault survivors and the challenges they faced when navigating the healthcare and criminal justice systems.
This model was designed as a one-stop centre. It brings together health services, police, social development and justice services so survivors can access coordinated support instead of navigating these systems separately.
Government and external funders established the centres through partnerships. The centres are now recognised as a strong example of multi-sector collaboration, including joint public-private and donor investments in addressing GBV.
This collaboration is essential and effective. However, an important question remains: if we have improved our criminal justice response, why are we still seeing such high levels of violence?
A key reason is that South Africa has invested significantly in reactive systems and far less in preventing violence before it occurs. Strengthening GBVF prevention therefore needs to become the next major national priority.
The progress that government, donors, business and civil society have made in responding to GBVF is laudable. However, it has not yet shifted the societal structures that underpin violence.
What South Africa needs now is a similar collaborative model that tackles prevention at a societal level. GBVF prevention must address the broader social conditions and mindsets that contribute to violence rather than focusing only on incidents after they occur.
GBVF and corporate culture
Businesses employ millions of people. As a result, they have the capacity to influence families, workplaces and communities. There is immense potential to use this influence, together with existing programmes, to drive changes in cultural and social norms. This is difficult work, but it is not impossible.
This can include employee wellbeing initiatives such as mental health support for women, access to GBVF hotlines and programmes that engage men on healthy relationships. Businesses can also encourage positive, engaged fatherhood and use the corporate environment to change the lived experiences of children and families otherwise exposed to violence.
If South Africa hopes to break intergenerational cycles of violence, children need positive home environments. Importantly, this should also include a commitment to expanding economic opportunities for women.
Business involvement in GBVF prevention can therefore extend far beyond workplace policies. Companies can actively help shape healthier relationships, safer communities and more supportive family environments.
Creating CSI programmes with a GBVF prevention lens
Tackling GBVF through Corporate Social Investment (CSI) requires a deliberate decision to invest in well-established social impact programmes that make a difference.
This does not always mean starting new programmes or deploying additional funding. Instead, there is significant opportunity to build prevention into existing investments and initiatives.
For example, organisations can extend programmes targeting education, youth development or healthcare. These programmes can help dismantle structures of violence more broadly through careful consideration of how GBV is addressed within existing initiatives.
Investing in practical initiatives can also make a meaningful difference. This could include improving lighting in high-risk areas, providing transport for women travelling early in the morning or late at night, and supporting community patrols or programmes that create safer environments.
These practical interventions demonstrate how GBVF prevention can become part of broader social and community development efforts rather than a separate activity.
What effective prevention looks like in practice
GBVF is a complex issue, and more clients are looking to move from investing in response to prevention. The question many corporates are now asking is: “Where will our investments make the greatest impact?”
We are exploring evidence-based approaches that have been proven to create meaningful and lasting change.
One such programme combines social behaviour change with economic empowerment. Stepping Stones is an evidence-based, participatory training programme designed to prevent HIV and reduce GBVF.
The programme works by dismantling harmful social norms and power dynamics while improving communication. It addresses gender, sexuality, violence and relationship skills, recognising that entrenched behaviours are often rooted in family and community relationships.
The programme brings couples together to learn healthy communication. In doing so, it helps build healthier relationships and reduce violence.
Women who participate also receive practical skills that help them identify and pursue income-generating opportunities. These opportunities can improve their socio-economic circumstances.
This programme offers a strong example of a holistic approach to GBVF prevention and its long-term benefits. It not only reduces violence in families and communities but also supports meaningful economic participation for women, which contributes to a stronger economy.
Investing in GBVF prevention in the long term
This approach will not deliver results overnight. Changing behaviours, relationships and social norms takes years. However, the impact can be far-reaching and extend across generations.
This requires looking beyond traditional measures of success. Knowing how much was invested or how many people participated in a programme remains important. However, the true measure of success should be whether attitudes, behaviours and social norms are changing.
A Theory of Change approach helps funders and implementation partners connect programme activities to these longer-term outcomes. It creates a framework for learning what works, adapting where necessary and making better-informed decisions about implementation at scale.
If South Africa is serious about addressing its GBVF crisis, it remains important to continue investing in support for survivors today. However, the country also needs an approach that treats GBVF prevention as equally important.
Everyone has a role to play. Prevention requires a whole-of-society approach, and reaching every corner of South Africa will require the combined efforts of government, civil society and business. By investing in GBVF prevention today, South Africa can help create a safer, more equitable and violence-free future for generations to come.
