WINDHOEK - There is a need for collaborative, integrated and coordinated approaches that aim at both responding to and preventing GBV in order to meet the goal of eliminating all forms of gender-based violence by 2030 in accordance with the revised SADC Protocol on Gender and Development. 

According to the 2018 SADC gender protocol barometer report, these approaches should operate at all levels including relationship, community and society. Also, there is a thin line between prevention and response and each can enhance the effectiveness of the other, the report states.  

For example, strong laws and sanctions against GBV can have a preventative effect. Strong rehabilitation programmes for perpetrators of GBV can help to ensure that they do not become repeat offenders, according to the barometer which was launched last month in Windhoek. 

“Programmes of support for women that include economic empowerment can help ensure that women do not become repeat victims,” it is highlighted in the report. 

It states that to date, stakeholders have mostly addressed GBV through reactive strategies. Prevention efforts, to the extent they have existed, have largely been driven by the women’s movement, according to the report.  
These have focused on changing social norms, building individual empowerment and addressing underlying structures that perpetuate violence against women, the report shows. 

Further, all SADC countries have to date implemented prevention strategies to raise awareness and advocate for GBV prevention. 

These include coordinated campaigns, which, based on anecdotal evidence, remain the most common strategy across the region, many governments and civil society organisations want to turn the campaign into a 365-day campaign. 
Meanwhile, it is also highlighted that witchcraft allegations constitute one of the most common practices in sub-Saharan Africa, where the belief in witchcraft remains widespread.  

Women make up most people targeted by accusations of witchcraft, resulting in them experiencing abuse and other harmful practices. 

While it is easy to assess the targeted messages and policy-related progress, financial commitment is more difficult due to lack of explicit budgets ring-fenced for GBV programming. 

“Bureaucratic barriers make it even harder to access information on budgets and expenditure related to GBV. For the sake of accountability, as well as for monitoring and evaluation, governments should make this information available,” according to the report.