The severity of the scourge of gender-based violence (GBV) in South Africa is brought into sharp relief each year during Women’s Month as government, business and civil society reflect on the challenges women continue to face.
South Africa’s femicide rate is more than six times higher than the global average, according to Femicide in South Africa by Nechama Brodie, and the country has the highest incidence of rape globally. Research indicates that between 25% and 40% of South African women have experienced sexual and/or physical intimate partner violence (IPV) in their lifetime, and just under 50% of women have experienced emotional or economic abuse at the hands of their intimate partners.1
Given that one in three women are victims of GBV, business needs to recognise that its workforce and stakeholders are subject to this epidemic and take greater responsibility for the issue.
Trialogue, in partnership with the Vodacom Foundation, hosted a webinar on 29 August, 2024, to discuss how companies can use their corporate social investment (CSI) programmes to bolster efforts to prevent GBV, assist and empower GBV survivors, and safeguard their employees as well as the communities they serve.
The panellists were Angela Abrahams (head of CSI at the Vodacom Foundation), Gugu McLaren-Ushewokunze (head of Economic Inclusion and acting head of Social Transformation at the National Business Initiative), and Dr Zubeda Dangor (head of executive at the National Shelter Movement).
The webinar was moderated by Trialogue’s thought leadership manager, Sheldon Morais.
CSI support for safety and security
Safety and security were supported by 13% of companies and received 1% of average CSI expenditure in 2023, according to Trialogue primary research.
Companies also spent an average of 13% of CSI spend on ‘social and community development’, with 6% of this spend being directed towards victims of violence and abuse
The role of business in addressing GBV
Social ills such as GBV have an impact on our society, but also on our economy and – by extension – business. Consequently, it is important for companies to look beyond a myopic view on business, understand these broader issues and play an active role in addressing them, McLaren-Ushewokunze told webinar participants.
The NBI supports companies to understand their part in this process, the contribution they can make to providing spaces for learning and sharing, the action-based collaborations they can establish and the ways they can support government efforts.
McLaren-Ushewokunze said that, in addition to providing immediate and urgent support for victims of GBV, companies need to deliberately address the underlying causes of violence as a means to its prevention. Armed with this understanding, business might make the following primary contributions towards turning the tide on GBV:
- Companies need to strive for equitable, inclusive environments that responsibly address GBV when it takes place within organisations and strive to build workplaces that are inhospitable to GBV. This includes pay parity.
- Provide sustained support to non-profit organisations (NPOs) that are challenging GBV through CSI.
- Companies should align efforts with national priorities to amplify efforts to address the problem.
A holistic approach to GBV
Since it began to support gender empowerment programmes in 2013, the Vodacom Foundation’s approach has shifted to include gender in the education pillar.
Vodacom’s work in this space extends beyond the work of the foundation. “We look at it with a holistic approach. We look at how we can support our employees, we look at how we can support and work with our customers and we look at how we can support and work with our communities,” Abrahams told webinar attendees.
The Foundation’s efforts are closely aligned with the National Strategic Plan on Gender Based Violence and Femicide. With support from expert partners working in the GBV space, the foundation applies technological solutions and multi-sectoral interventions to provide prevention response, support and empowerment.
Vodacom’s prevention and response strategy programmes include its free, awareness-raising Bright Sky Mobile app and the GBV Command Centre, a toll-free line for victims of violence. The statistics collected through the command centre can contribute to defining a more proactive response to GBV in communities if used effectively.
The Foundation has recognised the pervasiveness of GBV across the development sectors, including education. In 2021 the foundation began a successful pilot programme placing ten psychosocial support workers in schools to address broader social issue affecting education, including GBV. The programme has grown to 36 psychosocial support professionals servicing 42 schools and reaching more than 35 000 learners.
The R10 million the Vodacom Foundation pledged to the gender-based violence response fund in 2021 has contributed to the establishment of one Thuthuzela Care Centre. These provide safe spaces for GBV victims to report violence, receive medical attention and avoid secondary victimisation.
In addition to this, the Foundation in partnership with the NPA has completed a second TCC in Nelspruit which will be launched in November.
The organisation has been partnering with the NSM and the Department of Social Development since 2017, providing a five-day training programme to GBV survivors, in addition to multiple gender empowerment projects it is involved in. Beneficiaries receive guidance on how to go about seeking employment or opportunities to establish small businesses. To date the programme has trained more than 1 800 survivors in 52 shelters across the country.
Ensuring impactful programmes
During the webinar panellists identified several factors that can contribute to building impactful programmes and moving the needle on GBV.
McLaren-Ushewokunze emphasised the importance of working within an overarching framework of identified priorities such as the National Strategic Plan to give stakeholders a foundation on which to build their efforts. This creates the opportunity to provide the most meaningful interventions, for example the collaboration between NSM and Uber to transport GBV victims to places of safety.
Conversely, business and civil society have a part to play in engaging government for well-conceived, comprehensive polices on GBV. Business has the resources, insight and infrastructure to leverage positive change.
Partnerships and collaboration were discussed as an important priority for companies investing in GBV prevention. Panellists emphasised the need for a multisector approach that draws on the knowledge and skills of NPOs, civil society, academia, government and the private sector. Working with experienced organisations with existing, meaningful programmes in place is likely to be far more effective than isolated, disparate projects.
Abrahams highlighted the need for long-term investment and patience as key priorities for companies investing in GBV prevention. She also urged developing CSI strategies that speak to the interconnectedness of social issues, given the pervasive nature of domestic violence.
Dangor noted the need for robust monitoring and evaluation (M&E) that is in place from programme outset, as well as the value of private sector partnerships to support on-the-ground GBV realities.
Watch the video recording of the webinar:
Find out more
- Explore the safety and security, and social and community development topics on the Trialogue Knowledge Hub.
- At the Trialogue Business in Society Conference 2023, Vodacom sponsored the theme ‘Addressing gender-based violence early’. Watch the conference session and read the write-up.
- Read Martin Sweet’s Viewpoint ‘What about the boys? Tackling gender-based violence’ in the Trialogue Knowledge Hub.