JOHANNESBURG - The Commission for Gender Equality is working to develop a practical blueprint that will help people understand how the criminal justice system responds to gender-based violence and femicide cases.
The inquiry is being jointly led by the Human Rights Commission, the Commission for Gender Equality and the CRL Rights Commission, as gender-based violence and femicide remains a national crisis.
Despite policy reforms and government interventions, many survivors continue to face barriers in accessing protection, support services and justice.
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Chairperson of the South African Commission for Gender Equality, Nthabiseng Sepanya-Mogale, says the inquiry aims to produce a blueprint that everyone will be able to use to understand what is happening within the criminal justice system in relation to GBVF matters.
She says the inquiry will not begin with victims, survivors or their families, but will instead examine the context in which these forms of violence occur, so that the report captures the enabling environment that society is expected to respond to.
Sepanya-Mogale says the inquiry will then look at how violations arise from that environment and, importantly, how duty bearers respond to them, saying that understanding that response is key to the commission.