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Impactful research to help victims of gender-based violence post-COVID-19

19 September 2022 | Story André Damons | Photo André Damons

A lecturer at the University of the Free State (UFS) Faculty of Health Sciences hopes his research into the impact the COVID-19 pandemic had on gender-based violence (GBV) among women, could assist the victims and especially government and organisations to address this evil post-COVID-19.

Sithembiso Ndlovu, a Public Health Lecturer in the Division of Public Health, Office of the Dean of Health Sciences, says this research was a narrative review paper which aimed to explore the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on GBV among women since there is inadequate established literature on this topic, particularly in South Africa. The focus was on intimate partner violence.

He started working on the review in February 2021 and finished in August the same year where after the paper was published by the African Journal of Reproductive Health (AJRH) in July 2022. He says he believes his research aligns with the UFS narrative of creating opportunities and growth through leading, learning and teaching, focused research, and impactful engagement with society given the quality of the research that his review upholds.

Looking at the state and impact of GBV

Says Ndlovu: “I believe my research will be impactful in academia and in the lives of women who experienced GBV during lockdown. The study will also be impactful to women who will experience GBV in the future through recommended interventions, which I believe government departments and various GBV-oriented organisations can adopt to curb the increase in GBV cases in the country post-COVID-19 pandemic.

”All in all, the research expresses the notion of care for the well-being of South African women who are voiceless or powerless and thus creates an opportunity for them to be able to seek help.”

The researcher says he wanted to look at the state and impact of GBV among women during the pandemic in the South African context and lay a foundation for prospective interventions to mitigate the increase of GBV cases during the lockdown. He envisages government departments and local organisations that deal with issues relating to GBV to consider the proposed interventions.

“Also, it remains vital to engage men on the importance of GBV and the role they can play in decreasing the prevalence of this second pandemic after the COVID-19 as President Cyril Ramaphosa noted,” says Ndlovu.

According to him, without proper and accessible support, there will always be an increased risk of victimisation, even in households where there was no violence before the lockdown. Multipronged and all-inclusive intervention strategies are needed to address the prevalence of GBV cases effectively and sufficiently in South Africa.

What does the research show?

Ndlovu says the research found that there are multiple factors that contributed to the surge in GBV cases in South Africa, including alcohol availability and consumption, job losses, financial dependence, psychological distress, and emotional imbalances during the lockdown. During the restrictive lockdown, women were more exposed to the aggressors at home, where varying hostile power dynamics prevail, leaving the victims with limited opportunity to find any potential help and support due to limited mobility.

“When I was drafting the paper, there was limited literature on GBV during COVID-19 and comparing and contrasting statistics between the two periods was challenging. At the start of lockdown in March 2020, 87 000 cases of GBV and interpersonal violence were reported, a significant increase compared to pre-COVID-19.

“However, the reports did not specify the type of interpersonal violence, and GBV reported or the gender of the aggressor although it has been widely reported that male partners perpetrate most IPV.”

Interventions

Ndlovu wrote in the research article that key intervention strategies in combating GBV and ensuring that victims are supported adequately include dialogues and interventions around high-level communication and behaviour change programmes, prioritisation of reported cases, and developing interventions tailored to respond to the economically vulnerable circumstances women encounter.

“There should be an emergency strengthening of the support systems that could be utilised by women experiencing violence and who are planning to escape the violent environment during regulated lockdown curfew periods in South Africa.

“Interventions should also include denormalising violence against women by their male counterparts and men in general. This could be implemented through educational programmes in communities, including schools where violence is prevalent. In this regard, an evaluation study on a school violence programme in Tshwane found that the programme increased positive knowledge of violence and attitudes toward violence. The recommended services must also be offered in all South African official languages to ensure that information is received and understood extensively,” he wrote.

GBV-related programmes need to be prioritised in every sector and government department. This would necessitate realistic measures and activities to ensure impact. Governments must collaborate with various organisations to derive interventions by eliminating factors contributing to a surge in GBV cases.

News Archive

Conference: Expanded ARV treatment

2005-03-02

VENUE: University of the Free State, Bloemfontein, South Africa
DATE: 30 March 2005 - 1 April 2005

ARV Programme as on 24Feb Download Word document
Programme Special events Download Word document

Official web site www.fshealth.gov.za/subsites/arvc

Rationale for the Conference
At the time of the planned Conference, much ground would have been covered, both in the Free State and in South Africa, in respect of the expanded public sector ARV treatment programme in respect of research, experiences in practice, training of staff, treatment of patients, lessons learned, successes and failures, etc. The time would then be quite opportune to share these in a systematic manner with other provinces and countries, as well as with the large variety of stakeholders and role players in the ARV and related domains, be they academics and researchers, policy makers and service/facility managers, the variety of caregivers, and the community organisations and affected patients.

The Conference and current research
The proposed Conference is, firstly, directly linked to the current research on the public sector roll-out of ARV treatment in the Free State conducted by several research institutions (e.g. CIET, CHSR&D, UCT Lung Institute). Secondly, the Conference could and would serve as a forum for other research groups in the country and further a field to report and share knowledge and experiences on ARV treatment and related initiatives. Lastly, the Conference will stage a golden opportunity for researchers and scientists, on the one hand, and policy makers, managers, and caregivers (as knowledge users), on the other hand, to engage in cross-disciplinary discourse on this mutual and topical theme.

Theme of Conference
Expanded ARV treatment in the Free State: sharing experiences

Focus
The focus is primarily on public sector ARV treatment in the Free State, but also initiatives/activities/perspectives of relevance to the Free State elsewhere in the country at large and further a field, as well as relevant ARV initiatives in the public, private, NGO and FBO sectors. Bear in mind, however, that ARV treatment is but part of a much more comprehensive approach to HIV and AIDS. The Conference will, therefore, not narrowly focus on the ARV treatment programme only. The broader context, other relevant dimensions, and a comprehensive approach to the challenges of HIV, AIDS and TB are of equal importance.

The purpose of the Conference
Enhance meaningful exchange, mutual understanding and collaboration among researchers, scientists, policy makers, managers and practitioners in the field of ARV treatment and related fields.

Share experiences in the various spheres of ARV treatment and related spheres (policy, management, practice, research, training, public-private-civil society sectors).

Record, reflect and report on the establishment of the ARV treatment programme in the Free State, and in within the context of the comprehensive HIV/AIDS programme.

Disseminate important research results on ARV treatment and related themes to health policy makers, managers, practitioners, communities and to the research community.

Stimulate discourse among various disciplines and various stakeholders/role players involved in ARV treatment and related programmes.

Sensitise and acquaint researchers to the requirements of policy makers, managers and practitioners in respect of ARV treatment and related fields.

Facilitate the implementation of research results in ARV treatment policy, programmes and practice.

Dissemination of Conference-related information
Information generated during the Conference could feed into policy, management and practice of ARV treatment, the training accompanying such programme, and the existing body of knowledge. After the Conference the information will be disseminated via the Internet and by scientific and popular publications.

Date and duration
Set for 30 & 31 March & 1 April 2005; to commence at 09:00 on the first day (30 March) and to end at 16:30 (1 April) the third day.

Format and scope of Conference
Alternating plenary, parallel sessions and debates focused on topical issues and interest groups. The Conference will strive to be maximally interactive and participative.

Themes and topics to cover:

Policy, management and health services/practice (various levels and contexts – clinical treatment, information, IT systems, pharmacy, laboratories, nutrition)
Research covering all relevant disciplines and diverse dimensions of ARV treatment and related themes
Training and evaluation of training
Patients, communities and civil society organisations
Public, private, NGO, FBO initiatives and partnerships

Emphasis will be on the Free State, however, with of significant involvement from other provinces, SADC countries, and countries further a field. The thrust will be to export lessons and experiences from the Free State, but also to import lessons and experiences from other provinces, countries and sectors.

Presenters
Key presenters from the Free State, other provinces, South Africa, from the private, FBO and NGO sectors, and from several other countries

Delegates
About half of the delegates will be Free State stakeholders and role players (all levels and all contexts). The other half will be role players and stakeholders in the ARV and related fields from other provinces, the national level, and other countries, as well as from the private, public and non-governmental sectors.

Focused workshops
Provision will be made for half-a-day or one-day workshop initiatives on the third day (1 April 2005).

Enquiries
For more information please contact:

Prof Dingie van Rensburg
Centre for Health Systems Research & Development
University of the Free State
PO Box 339
Bloenfontein
SOUTH AFRICA
9300

Contact:
Carin van Vuuren
Conference Organiser
Centre for Health Systems Research & Development
University of the Free State
P.O.Box 339
Bloemfontein
South Africa
9300
Tel +27 (0) 51 401 2181
Fax +27 (0) 51 4480370
Cell 0832932890
e-mail: arvconference.hum@mail.uovs.ac.za

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