The recent discovery of several women's bodies in Ekurhuleni, South Africa, has sparked fear and concern, particularly among women in the metropolitan area. Authorities have prioritized investigations, but it is premature to speculate about a connection between the cases. However, it is clear that violence against women remains a pervasive issue in South Africa, requiring urgent attention. According to the First South African National Gender-Based Violence Study, released in 2024, 35.5% of women aged 18 and older have experienced physical and/or sexual violence during their lifetime.
The study also reveals that approximately 7.85 million women residing in South Africa have experienced violence. Furthermore, South Africa records some of the highest levels of lethal violence against women globally, with an intimate-partner femicide rate of 5.5 per 100,000 women recorded in 2020/21, almost five times the global average. These statistics demonstrate the magnitude of the problem and provide a vital perspective for understanding violence against women and their safety.
In response to the ongoing Ekurhuleni investigations, women have been encouraged to take heightened precautions. While it is essential to acknowledge the potential risk of harm in the area, it would be irresponsible to suggest that women disregard advice to be extra cautious. However, reactivity and its value to harm reduction and threat assessment cannot be treated as a sustainable approach to preventing violence against women.
Women often employ precautionary behaviors, such as avoiding isolated areas, limiting travel alone or after dark, and sharing locations, to negotiate public spaces and ensure their safety. While these strategies are sensible and can remove opportunities for victimization, they divert responsibility for managing the risk of violence onto the potential victim. Routine activity theory proposes that predatory crimes arise when a vulnerable target, a motivated offender, and a lack of capable guardianship converge in time and space.
The concept of a "suitable target" requires consideration, as the behavior of a female victim is often scrutinized, and emphasis is placed on what she may have done differently to prevent her victimization. This can result in victim-blaming and reinforce the rhetoric that women are responsible for their own safety. Crime prevention cannot be built on accepting that women should have to limit and restrict their lives and access to public spaces because violence against them is anticipated and otherwise "unmanageable".
A shift in focus is necessary, from "why was she there?" to "why is it possible for an offender to act there?" This moves the emphasis towards capable guardianship, which extends beyond police presence alone to include surveillance, environmental design, safer transport options, private security, community policing, and efficient reporting and response mechanisms. The physical, emotional, and social consequences of violence affect victims, their relatives and friends, and the community at large.
The fear of victimization alone can influence behavior, and women are already well-versed in adapting their behavior, lifestyles, and routines in response to perceived risk. The resulting danger is that such restrictions may gradually become normalized and accepted as an inevitable part of women's lives. Ultimately, the responsibility for preventing violence against women cannot, and should not, predominantly lie with those at the greatest risk of experiencing it.
Key points
- Dr. Tara Farrer Harris emphasizes that sustainable primary and secondary crime prevention requires greater attention to offenders, offending opportunities, environmental conditions, and formal and informal guardianship.
- The solution to violence against women cannot simply be for women to become more proficient in avoiding danger; it requires a longer-term response that highlights practical safety considerations and offers suggestions on how to reduce immediate exposure to risk.
- The answer to violence against women lies in reducing opportunities for offence, strengthening capable guardianship, and making public spaces safer.
