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Preventing Rape and Violence in South Africa: Call for Leadership in a New Agenda for Action

Preventing

Preventing Rape and Violence in South Africa: Call for Leadership in a New Agenda for Action

South Africa faces a globally unprecedented problem of violence against women and girls, as well as men and boys, which is undermining our national development and hindering our achievement of the Millennium Development Goals.  With rates of homicide, rape, and childhood and domestic violence well above those of comparable other countries, the problem of violence is undermining our nation’s health and economic and social development. These high levels of violence are an enduring legacy of our colonial and apartheid past, driven by social dynamics formed during the years of racial and gender oppression, with systematic impoverishment, under-education, rampant violence and destruction of normal family life.  Preventing and reducing levels of violence has been a missing piece in the national transformation agenda. It needs now to be addressed vigorously as a cross-cutting national priority.

View the complete Preventing Rape and Violence in South Africa: Call for Leadership in A New Agenda For Action policy brief

8 November 2009