Fewer than one in five intimate partner femicide cases result in conviction. This means for five deaths of women, at the hands of their boyfriends or husbands, only one of those men will face jail time. Graphic: Se-Anne Rall/IOL
Fewer than one in five intimate partner femicide cases result in conviction. This means for five deaths of women, at the hands of their boyfriends or husbands, only one of those men will face jail time.
According to the South African Medical Research Council ( SAMRC) report, the Eastern Cape continues to report the highest femicide rates in the country, while Gauteng saw a significant increase in cases during 2020/21. In contrast, provinces like the Western Cape, Northern Cape, and Free State saw slight decreases, though these differences were not significant.
The study’s findings reveal significant gaps in convictions, particularly as perpetrator identification rates dropped.
The SAMRC has been studying femicide in South Africa for more than 20 years.
The report, ‘South Africa’s Femicide Crisis Persists: New Report Highlights Increase in Intimate Partner Femicide Violence and Declining Convictions’, revealed that South Africa continues to have some of the highest femicide rates in the world.
The report, which covers four surveys between 1999 - 2020/21 revealed that following the Covid-19 restrictions, there had been a disturbing increase in intimate partner femicide and a decline in convictions.
"According to the report, 60% of women murdered in 2020/21 were killed by an intimate partner, an increase from previous years. Despite an overall drop in femicide during the pandemic’s alcohol ban periods, intimate partner femicide increased.
“Convictions also dropped, with fewer than one in five intimate partner femicide cases resulting in a conviction. The study shows that women’s chances of receiving justice significantly decreased, with more cases of unidentified perpetrators," the reported noted.
Chief Specialist Scientist at the SAMRC Gender & Health Research Unit, Professor Naeemah Abrahams, said femicide is preventable. Yet, in SA, reports of yet another femicide have become the new normal.
"We must address this crisis with urgency, especially given the sharp rise in intimate partner femicide during the pandemic," Abrahams said.
"The fact that conviction rates are so low, and the number of unsolved cases is growing, should be a resounding call to improve our justice system’s response to gender-based violence," she added.
While intimate partner femicide rates dropped from four women a day in 1999 to three in 2009, this number has remained unchanged since 2009. However, 2020/21 saw a worrying shift. Intimate partner femicides now account for 60.1% of all femicides, and one in six women murdered showed evidence of sexual violence.
Abrahams said the figures are devastating, as femicide it not just a criminal justice issue.
"It reflects deeply-rooted societal inequalities and requires a comprehensive, multi-sectoral approach to prevent and reduce it.
“Convictions for intimate partner femicide were already low, but the decline during the Covid-19 year was alarming. When we allow these cases to go unsolved and unpunished, we not only fail the victims, but also send a message that gender-based violence and femicide are tolerated," Abrahams added.
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