Measuring gender-based violence in Southern Africa

Inspired by the Southern African Development Community Protocol on Gender and Development, Gender Links, in collaboration with the Medical Research Council Gender and Health Research Unit, has embarked on the first comprehensive, community-based research study of the prevalence of GBV in the South Africa, Botswana and Mauritius.

The SADC Protocol aims to halve gender violence by 2015 but in order to do so it was necessary to better understand the extent of violence in the region.

The GBV Indicators Research Project is being conducted after a consultative process that developed a comprehensive set of indicators to measure GBV with a team of experts from the SADC region, the SADC Gender Unit and African Centre for Gender and Development at the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa.

Research methods employed include the collection of data on gender attitudes, prevalence, and patterns of GBV from women or men aged 18 years or more in randomly selected households through a structured questionnaire. Other methods include the collection and analysis of first-hand accounts, “IÀ stories, of experiences of abuse from GBV survivors and reformed perpetrators. Speeches made by politicians have also been analysed for content around issues of GBV. The research looks specifically at speeches given during the period corresponding with the prevalence and attitudes household survey.

Data on domestic violence and sexual offences is also being collected from relevant government departments and civil society service providers. The administrative data analysed include annual reports, client statistics, client satisfaction reports, referral statistics, conviction rates of courts and any other services related information made available.

The South Africa project has been completed in Gauteng Province and is ongoing in Kwazulu Natal and Western Cape Provinces. Plans are underway to roll out the project in Limpopo in collaboration with the Limpopo Provincial government.

The Mauritius project is also ongoing. The prevalence and attitudes survey and collection of available speeches is now complete. The GL Mauritius Satellite office is currently collecting administrative data and “IÀ stories from women survivors and reformed perpetrators.

The GL Botswana satellite office is collecting “IÀ stories from women survivors and reformed perpetrators. Administrative data collection and analysis of available speeches is ongoing. The prevalence and attitudes survey is scheduled for November and December 2011. The major partners for the Botswana project are the Women’s Affairs Department in the Ministry of Labour and Home Affairs , WLSA Botswana and the University of Botswana.