Women want help, not personal safety warnings: Amnesty SA

Telling women not to walk or run alone is not the answer to the violence against women in SA, says Amnesty International SA, calling for urgent action by the state and police following a series of killings in Ekurhuleni .

Amnesty International SA executive director Shenilla Mohamed says women should not have to carry the responsibility of constantly changing their routines or remaining vigilant to protect themselves from violence.

The discovery of the eighth body of a woman in the Ekurhuleni area since July is just another horrific reminder that women in SA are not safe, Mohamed said.

“Women being told not to walk or run alone is not the answer. Women are tired of platitudes. We want to know what is going to be done to make women and children safe in South Africa. We do not only want condolences, we want action,” she said.

Mohamed said official response needs to extend beyond Ekurhuleni and the police should be thoroughly investigating sexual offences and cases of violence against women across the country. She called for:

“Collaboration between the police, prosecution services, and other relevant agencies is essential to streamline information sharing and ensure seamless co-ordination,” she said.

The failure to effectively prevent violence, investigate crimes and hold perpetrators accountable reflects a lack of urgency and political will within the state, and specifically in the justice system, to act meaningfully

Mohamed told TimesLIVE the state needed to restore public confidence in the criminal justice system by ensuring that perpetrators were held accountable.

“The failure to effectively prevent violence, investigate crimes and hold perpetrators accountable reflects a lack of urgency and political will within the state, and specifically in the justice system, to act meaningfully.”

Mohamed said the lack of reliable, disaggregated crime data on women and children was also a concern.

The SAPS withdrew its previously published disaggregated statistics on crimes against women and children after identifying discrepancies, including duplicated crime counts and inconsistencies in how victims were linked to charges. It said the data would be reinstated once corrected and validated.

“Reliable data is not a technical detail; it is a prerequisite for accountability,” Mohamed said.

She said police stations should have victim-friendly rooms and access to vehicles to respond to calls, and officers should receive ongoing training on sexual offences. Municipalities have a role to play in creating safer public spaces, including ensuring that areas were adequately lit at night.

“We need a police service that takes every report seriously. One that does not ignore or ridicule women, One that, in the face of femicide, conducts a full and thorough investigation. One that answers the phone and collects rape kits once they have been conducted and processes them timeously.”