The Silent Epidemic of Gender-Based Violence

Breaking The Silence

An estimated 736 million women - almost one in three - have been subjected to physical and/or sexual violence, or both, at least once in their lifetime. Gender-based violence (GBV) is violence that is directed against a woman because she is a woman or that affects women disproportionately. It includes acts that inflict physical, mental, or sexual harm or suffering, threats of such acts, coercion, and other deprivations of liberty. Women and girls in all regions are affected by gender-based killings. 

Victims of gender-based violence often do not speak up, even though sometimes they make the headlines, as was the case of the Ugandan Olympic athlete Rebecca Cheptegei, who was murdered in September 2024 by her former boyfriend. Rebecca represents a string of women who have been murdered most violently in the past. In 2023, Africa recorded the largest absolute and relative numbers of female intimate partner and family-related killings, with an estimated 21,700 victims. Despite the statistics, less than 1 percent of global aid and development spending targeted gender-based violence in 2022. This is concerning as gender-based violence disrupts development in society, from the quest for equality to significant economic and climate costs.

The global economic ramifications of gender-based violence run deep, with South Africa alone experiencing human capital losses of $2.9 billion in 2022, according to WHO estimates. Violence manifests across various sectors, including the textile and garment industry, where women comprise 80% of workers yet remain confined to lower-paid positions. A 2019 investigation of three Lesotho garment factories exposed widespread sexual abuse, with managers coercing workers into unwanted relationships.

For young girls in Nigeria, armed conflicts by extremist groups such as Boko Haram disrupt their education, limiting their future economic opportunities. In 2024, Amnesty International reported that over 1,700 children had been abducted by gunmen since 2014, with 17 mass school abductions recorded in six years.

Climate change compounds existing vulnerabilities. Research from Uganda in 2019 revealed that women in drought-affected regions face increased sexual violence risks during essential tasks like water collection. Some find themselves pressured into exchanging sexual favors for necessities such as food and housing when vendors and landowners refuse other payment methods.

African Risk Capacity Limited director Delphine Traoré explains this intersection: "Anything climate-related has a lot to do with food security and the most vulnerable across Africa. Its people - particularly women and girls - bear the brunt of climate change, yet have very little impact on carbon emissions."

Health implications prove equally concerning. Research in Zimbabwe indicates that women subjected to forced sexual violence face higher rates of HIV infection compared to those without such experiences. This connection between violence and health outcomes creates additional barriers for affected women while straining healthcare systems.

Power's Painful Price

There is a ray of hope in countries like Rwanda, where women's participation in leadership—with about 64% of parliament members being female—has created a ripple effect in response to GBV. In Rwanda, free services are offered to GBV victims, including safe houses.

Locals have become part of the solution in dealing with GBV across Africa. Grassroots activists like Josephine Kulea, who founded the Samburu Girls Foundation, have provided a haven, rescuing young girls being forced into early marriage in Kenya. Survivors of GBV, like Mariame Dabo in Senegal, who underwent female genital mutilation (FGM) as a child, work to raise community awareness and support victims of GBV, particularly FGM. Women, including Esther Ochieng in Kenya and Rebecca Chepkateke in Uganda, are providing support for victims of GBV in various forms.

Gender-based violence has a new playground: the online space. Online gender-based violence (OGBV) can take many forms, including harassment and threats, as was the case for journalist Hafsat Bahara. Online gender-based violence can damage a woman's brand or professional reputation, affecting her career opportunities and economic prospects, especially in the digital age. Conflict zones amplify existing risks, as evidenced in Sudan, where women resort to trading sexual favors for basic survival needs. Peacekeeping forces, though mandated to protect civilians from sexual violence, cannot often address all forms of abuse.

Legislative gaps undermine protection efforts. South Africa's struggle with legislative implementation correlates with its position among countries with the highest rates of gender-based violence globally. The 2020 crime statistics reported that one in five South African women were victims of gender-based violence and femicide (GBVF). Kenya introduced police gender desks in 2004 to facilitate reporting, yet gaps remain – notably in Trans Nzoia, where Rebecca Cheptegei resided before her murder, and none of five police stations maintained gender desks in 2024.

Legal gaps coincide with deeply rooted cultural practices across multiple nations. Malawi's anti-violence legislation suffers from funding shortages and limited official training, while Zimbabwe's legal protections compete with traditional practices like lobola, which often leads to early marriages. Individuals with disabilities face triple the risk of experiencing violence and harmful customs.

Ugandan police response and legal system remains inconsistent, with rare successes like Esther's rescue proving exceptional rather than standard. Studies link patriarchal attitudes to environmental pressures – men sometimes react violently when exhausted wives, who spend hours searching for resources, decline intimate relations. Male migration for work leaves families vulnerable, particularly to sexual exploitation.

Poverty drives harmful practices in Chad and Niger, where over 75% of girls marry before age 18. Families, viewing daughters as economic assets, arrange marriages to secure financial stability, perpetuating cycles of educational deprivation and dependence.

Resource scarcity throughout the Sahel creates opportunities for exploitation. Extremist organizations like Boko Haram capitalize on desperation, offering necessities in exchange for loyalty. Displacement camps, overwhelmed and under-supported, fail to shield vulnerable populations from recruitment tactics. Forced marriages serve as both a recruitment tool and an indoctrination method, embedding violence within community structures.

Societal pressures combined with environmental and economic factors create complex webs of vulnerability. Organizations operating in these regions report increased rates of exploitation as communities struggle with limited resources and diminishing protection mechanisms.

Change Starts Here

Addressing gender-based violence requires grassroots and community-led initiatives. Female chiefs such as Senior Chief Kachindamoto in Malawi have annulled many child marriages in their communities, proving that local authority figures can create meaningful change.

Also, the use of indigenous languages has proved to be a great tool in dealing with GBV. Senegalese community leaders and Lesotho's garment industry workers without formal education were trained on gender-based violence in Wolof and Sesotho, respectively. In 2021, a programme in Lesotho's garment industry was launched to combat abuse by providing workers with awareness training, a confidential reporting system, a toll-free hotline, and education campaigns.

Kenya maintains a national toll-free helpline that provides a lifeline for survivors of gender-based violence (GBV). The helpline offers a safe and confidential space for victims to report incidents and access support services. The helpline has been instrumental in providing critical support to GBV survivors. The CITAD GBV mobile app was launched to empower survivors of gender-based violence in Kano, Nigeria, to report cases and access support services. Lesotho’s Nokaneng app educates users about gender-based violence, their rights, and available support services while also providing safety tools like emergency alerts and SMS options.

Although there are existing policies and laws in different countries, there is a need for implementation and strengthening of these policies. Nigeria has laws in place to protect against online abuse, but they are not being used effectively due to a lack of awareness and weak enforcement. The National Digital Economy Policy and Strategy (NDEPS) exists, but there is room for improvement in areas regarding privacy and cybersecurity, which create opportunities for GBV to occur.

The South African government launched a ten-year National Strategic Plan on Gender-based Violence and Femicide (NSP-GBVF) in 2020, and despite the government's commitments to addressing gender-based violence, progress is slow due to a lack of funds, poor coordination, and inadequate training. In countries like Zimbabwe, the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) is working to reduce gender-based violence by providing essential services to survivors and promoting community-led prevention efforts.

Ending GBV requires a holistic, multi-stakeholder approach that addresses root causes and empowers survivors. A future without GBV will include solutions such as collaboration with local women's rights organizations, which are best placed to address gender-based violence in their communities, as they have a deep understanding of the issues and provide effective solutions. Their research and data collection are also crucial in informing policymakers and service providers on how to tackle gender-based violence.

Data is key in developing policies and programmes that address GBV. For example, South Africa's Departments of Communications and Digital Technologies and Social Development, in partnership with UNICEF, launched an online platform called GovChat to help victims of gender-based violence report incidents and get assistance. GovChat is an online application that connects victims with a government command center, allowing for real-time reporting and anonymous access to resources. The platform uses data analytics to identify high-risk areas and times, helping the government target its efforts and improve policymaking.

The African Union Convention on Ending Violence Against Women and Girls (AU-CEVAWG) aims to end violence against women and girls, with the Heads of State and Government committed to supporting and concluding negotiations on the convention by February 2025. The convention hopes to establish a comprehensive, legally binding framework for the prevention and elimination of, and effective response to, all forms of violence against women and girls across Africa.

The Spotlight Initiative has been instrumental in eliminating harmful cultural practices. The initiative is implemented in six districts in Malawi and has involved men as part of the solutions to addressing gender-based violence affecting girls and women. Progress has been made with chiefs like Chief Mizinga. In Mzimba district, Malawi, the chiefs helped annul 500 child marriages and passed bylaws aimed at reducing gender-based violence.

Awareness campaigns are also important advocacy tools, using the media to drive change. For example, in 2024, UN Women’s new documentary series, UNSILENCED: Stories of Survival, Hope, and Activism, shed light on violence against women and girls while also presenting solutions and advocating for action. The series shares stories of women in countries including Mali, Nigeria, and Liberia.

Gender-based violence (GBV) is a deep-rooted issue that affects every part of society. It holds back progress in education, health, and economic growth. Even in dealing with issues facing the world, including climate change and conflict, ending GBV will play a part in protecting the vulnerable in society and achieving sustainability. Governments, communities, and organizations must work together to end gender-based violence.

As UN Women Executive Director Sima Bahous said:

"It's time to get serious and fund what we know works to stop violence against women and girls. Invest in reforming and implementing laws and multisectoral policies. Provide services to survivors. Scale up evidence-based prevention interventions. With the will and contributions of all stakeholders and sectors, we can unlock financing, track budget allocations, and increase gender-responsive budgeting. We have the solutions and resources to end violence against women and girls in our lifetimes. It is our choice."