10/10/2026
𝗦𝗼𝘂𝘁𝗵 𝗔𝗳𝗿𝗶𝗰𝗮 𝗻𝗲𝗲𝗱𝘀 𝗺𝗼𝗿𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝗻 𝗮 𝗳𝗶𝘃𝗲-𝗽𝗼𝗶𝗻𝘁 𝗽𝗹𝗮𝗻 𝘁𝗼 𝗽𝗿𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝘃𝗶𝗼𝗹𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲
The discovery of at least 10 women's bodies east of Johannesburg prompted President Ramaphosa to unveil a five-point plan to protect women in public spaces. But the plan says little about how prevention will work.
SA will be better able to reduce violence against women if violence among boys and among men is not accepted as normal and inevitable. International evidence shows that for women to be safe, children and men must be safe too. In SA, most murders involve male victims, and the provinces with the highest male homicide rates also ranked highest for female homicide.
How boys and men treat each other is part of the environment that produces violence against women. Addressing harmful beliefs about masculinity and violence would address men’s violence against both women and men.
ISS Today by Chandre Gould and David Bruce
Violence against women is more likely to be reduced if violence among boys and among men is not accepted as normal and inevitable.
