New Chair confronts Gender-Based Violence and Femicide
- Wits University
The Chair is a critical intervention in sustained and focused inquiry that generates the necessary evidence for transformative policy and solutions.
Professor Relebohile (Lebo) Moletsane, an esteemed scholar with expertise in gender and education, and girlhood studies, has been appointed as the inaugural holder of the FALF-WITS-NRF Research Chair on Gender-Based Violence and Femicide (GBVF).
GBVF has been described as endemic and ever-present in South Africa, disproportionately affects women and children. A study conducted by the Human Sciences Research Council found that between July and September 2024, 957 women were murdered, 1 567 survived attempted murders and 14 366 experienced assaults resulting in grievous bodily harm. Furthermore, 10 191 rapes were reported within the three-month period, with figures showing a crisis that increases yearly.
The Chair will spearhead research that responds to the national call to action against GBVF by addressing fundamental questions about its root causes and impacts. Professor Moletsane emphasised the importance of engaging women, girls, non-binary persons, and men and boys as allies to co-develop contextual, community-based interventions.
Using a participatory research approach, the Chair aims to collaborate across disciplines and institutions while building capacity through training and mentorship to challenge and disrupt unequal gender norms.
The Chair was officially launched on Friday, 31 October, during the annual FALF Research Symposium, attended by scholars, civil society representatives, government officials, and community leaders. The gathering interrogated current GBVF interventions and explored research-led solutions.
Bridging Research and the Justice System
During the FALF Research Symposium and launch of the Research Chair, Advocate Bonnie Currie-Gamwo, Special Director of Public Prosecutions in the Sexual Offences and Community Affairs Unit of the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA), welcomed the establishment of the Chair and highlighted the importance of research that is accessible.
“To reach excellence in the GBVF sector, you must make your work accessible to those outside your sector,” she urged researchers, emphasising the need for closer collaboration between scholars and the criminal justice system.
She noted that research can strengthen trust between victims, communities, and authorities, an essential step in addressing the high attrition rate of GBVF cases.
“We cannot, as a country, prosecute ourselves out of GBV,” she said, underscoring the importance of multi-sectoral approaches to combat the crisis.
Eliminating GBVF accelerates the attainment of SGDs
Researchers have highlighted a startling reality. The persistence of GBVF undermines progress toward Goal 5 of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) which seeks to achieve gender equality.
“Evidence from research conducted by the Equality Institute suggests that unless we end violence against girls and women, globally, we will not achieve at least 14 of the 17 SDGs,” said Moletsane.
Working towards the realisation of SDG 5 enables and accelerates progress towards achieving other SDGs, she said.
Insightful Research and Recognition
The launch and research symposium featured a panel discussion on GBVF and research presentations by FALF Fellows, including:
- Dr Motlalepule Nathane: The Public Display and Normalisation of Gender-Based Violence and Femicide in South Africa
- Prof. Hlengiwe Ndlovu: Digital Futures and Gender Justice: Potentials and Pitfalls of Artificial Intelligence in Combating GBVF
- Dr Glodean Thani: Unpacking the ‘Sneaky Link’ Between Learner Developmental Discrepancies by Sex, Socio-Economic Inequalities, and GBV in South African Schools
- Dr Mpho Mathebula: Positive Masculinities and Gender Equality: Insights from Psychological Literature on Men’s Roles in Addressing GBVF
View the programme, speaker bios and abstracts.
Professor Ruksana Osama the Senior Deputy Vice-Chancellor: Academic was also presented with the first FALF Champion Award for her support to transformation, her lifelong service to Wits University and her outstanding contribution to education.
The day concluded with the launch of the book Mirrored Lives of Change: From Girls Leading Change to Champion Teachers, which emerged from a participatory research project which started in 2013, involving 14 first-year education students in the Eastern Cape, who are now champion teachers. The event culminated in an awards ceremony recognising FALF Fellows for their outstanding scholarly contributions and impact across society.
About the Research Chair and FALF
The FALF-WITS-NRF Research Chair on Gender-Based Violence and Femicide is housed within the School of Human and Community Development in the Faculty of Humanities at Wits University.
Professor Moletsane, an esteemed scholar with expertise in rural education and development, gender and education, and girlhood studies, co-edited Was it Something I Wore? Dress, Identity, and Materiality. She is the recipient of the 2012 Distinguished Women in Science (Humanities) Award from the Department of Science and Technology and was the 2014 Echidna Global Scholar at the Brookings Institution’s Centre for Universal Education, where she authored a report titled The Need for Quality Sexual and Reproductive Health Education to Address Barriers to Girls’ Educational Outcomes in South Africa.
Funded by the National Research Foundation (NRF), Wits University and the Female Academic Leaders Fellowship (NPC), an initiative led by Wits Chancellor Dr Judy Dlamini, the Chair underscores FALF’s commitment to addressing gender inequality through inclusive, intersectional approaches. FALF recognises the crucial role of men as allies in eradicating GBVF and advancing a society rooted in justice, dignity, and safety for all.
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