Femicide, the killing of women and girls is the most extreme and severe form of Gender-Based Violence (GBV). It violates the most fundamental human right – that of the right to life, as enshrined in the South African Bill of Rights (1, 2). Gender inequality has been identified as the primary driver of GBV and is  therefore directly linked to femicide.

In South Africa, three women are killed per day by an intimate partner, equating to 5.6/100 000, which is almost five times the global rate. Despite these high levels of femicide nationally, it remains an undercount as police information is not always available on all women murdered in the country. A country that does not count the number of femicides will not know the scale of the problem, and responses will inadequate. Similarly, the absence of evidence-informed and practice-based information will impede progress in preventing femicide.

The purpose of this National Strategy on the Prevention of Femicide is to spotlight femicide as a critical, distinct, and extreme form of GBV that requires a dedicated prevention strategy. It outlines the known drivers of femicide and requisite approaches to effectively prevent and respond to a woman, girl or gender diverse person from being killed, thereby expanding the proposed solutions for the prevention and response to GBVF in the National Strategic Plan of 2020.

View the complete National Integrated Strategy on the PREVENTION OF FEMICIDE in South Africa