On 1-2 November 2022, 1 300 delegates participated in the much-awaited Presidential Summit on Gender-Based Violence and Femicide 2 in Gauteng, South Africa.

The theme of the was ‘Accountability, Acceleration and Amplification Now!’

In his address, President Cyril Ramaphosa said, “Just as babies are not being spared, even the elderly have become targets of violent men. We have in recent times seen a spate of rapes and killings of elderly women, our mothers and grandmothers that are meant to be respected and treated with dignity. These horrors defy comprehension.

“There are really no words for them. They tell a story about our society that is deeply disturbing. It is a story of a nation at war with itself. These barbaric acts are a shameful indictment of the men of this country. It is not women who are responsible for ending such crimes; it is men. As a society, ending violence against women and children cannot be anything but our foremost priority. This is about the lives of our country’s women and children. There can be no greater urgency. That is why all of us who are attending this Summit must be focused on action and results. We need to be critical about those areas of the National Strategic Plan in which there has been little or no progress. We need practical plans to correct shortcomings and weaknesses. This Summit must look at what is working, what is not and what is needed to make a difference. This is an accountability Summit,” said Ramaphosa.

For the 1 300 delegates there were missed emotions. Yes, much work has been done and there is certainly much to celebrate in terms of research, structures, policies, plans and laws. What was glaring was that there was a lack of civil society voices to be heard from the podium and not enough space was given to survivors and those working as foot soldiers at grassroots level. To share lived experiences and find solutions.

What was very clear that even from the delegates at the summit, there was a lack of knowledge of the National Strategic Plan on Gender-based Violence and Femicide, and certainly, a distinct lack of conceptual clarity.

There is much work to do to end GBVF and we need to journey together.

Read about the National Strategic Plan on GBVF

Asante’s founder and Executive Director, Gil Harper is part of the End GBVF Collective.