Treat violence against women and children as interconnected crises, say researchers

ABOUT 7.3 million women have endured violence in their lifetime and for many, the trauma began long before adulthood, with experiences of abuse or neglect before the age of 15.

This is according to the 2025 South African Child Gauge from the UCT Children's Institute, which says South Africa must treat violence against women and children as interconnected crises, to break intergenerational cycles of harm. 

“Violence against women (VAW) and violence against children (VAC) are driven by a web of interrelated factors such as childhood trauma, observing violence in the home and community that leads to learned behaviour, all increasing the likelihood for victimisation and for perpetration, and the displacement of aggression,” said Prof Mathews, of UCT’s Faculty of Health Sciences.

According to the report, 24% of women aged 18 and older have experienced physical and/or sexual intimate partner violence. While 42% of children have experienced some form of maltreatment (sexual, physical, emotional abuse or neglect) by an adult who was supposed to take care of them.

Lucy Jamieson, senior researcher at the Children’s Institute at UCT said: “In every country, violence against women and children carries profound individual, social and economic costs. The long-term effects on individuals are devastating: children who experience violence face a higher risk of mental health issues, substance abuse, and chronic health conditions. They also struggle with learning and socialisation, hindering their future potential. 

“Violence places an enormous burden on the health, social services and criminal justice systems. Violence against children was estimated to cost nearly 5% of South Africa’s gross domestic product in 2015.”

To truly understand the intersections between VAC and violence against women VAW, the study found that it was necessary to have data systems integrated across relevant sectors. 

“Data collected in criminal justice, for example, may be linked with data from health, education and social development. At a very basic level it could identify numbers of children who might be at risk, i.e. those whose mothers/ caregivers have domestic abuse protection orders, or who were seen by health services for serious injuries likely in relation to domestic abuse, or the numbers of children whose fathers have committed sexual offences.”

The United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) has called for increased and sustained budget allocations for prevention, not just response services. 

“Intervening early to break the cycle of intergenerational violence alleviates the burden on health, social and criminal justice services. It also enhances human capital and social cohesion, while boosting economic development.

"Hence, UNICEF advocates for the budget allocation for prevention to be increased and prioritised as response services are,” said Irfan Akhtar, UNICEF South Africa deputy representative.

Cape Times