South Africa is one of the countries with the highest levels of sexual violence in the world. One of the areas known for its high prevalence of gender-based violence (GBV) is Diepsloot, in Johannesburg. Sonke has been working with Afrika Tikkun in Diepsloot since 2012. An Afrika Tikkun situational assessment of the area pointed at high levels of violence, particularly against children, and the need to engage men in prevention activities. Lawyers Against Abuse (LvA) has also identified a lack of proper services for victims of GBV in the area and has been considering the establishment of a legal office in Diepsloot.
This project is a partnership between Sonke and LvA. LvA – operating from the Centre for Applied Legal Studies at Wits University – works to create systemic change to prevent abuse, protect victims, and ensure that perpetrators are brought to justice. To achieve this, LvA aims to empower victims with direct legal representation; to encourage victims to claim their rights; to catalyse improved system response through targeted impact education; and to support and respect the rights of victims in the process.
The project thus seeks to:
- Contribute to the prevention of GBV in Diepsloot through community education and mobilisation by strengthening mobilisation and advocacy efforts and conducting public awareness activities to educate the Diepsloot community on the prevention of, and response, to GBV.
- Provide direct legal services and psycho-social support to victims of GBV in Diepsloot through a partnership with LvA, along with impact education of state actors on their legal role and responsibility towards victims of GBV.
Expected outcomes of this project include:
- Improved awareness and knowledge among community members – particularly men – on the impact of GBV and increased skills and commitment by communities to address it.
- Increased capacity of partner organisations to implement Sonke’s One Man Can Campaign (OMC) independently in Diepsloot and to fully integrate OMC activities into their existing and future programme activities.
- Strengthened capacity and commitment amongst partner organisations and key community stakeholders to understand and address the relationship between gender roles, negative masculinities and GBV and HIV & AIDS.
- Improved access to justice and psycho-social support for victims of GBV in Diepsloot.
- Increased accountability of criminal justice system actors in the Diepsloot area.
- Positive changes in social norms, attitudes and behaviour related to GBV and gender equality, leading to a reduction in violence.
