Despite declaring a national catastrophe, women continue to suffer from gender-based violence

In South Africa, students and staff from DUT marched silently through Durban to honor the memory of victims of gender-based violence and femicide, and to call for an end to violence, fear, and silence.

In the eThekwini area, the body of a sixth woman was found in approximately two months. Police are investigating possible links between these cases but warn that it is too early to speak of a serial killer's guilt.

Nevertheless, this should not distract from the broader crisis. South Africa does not lack reports of GBVF; it lacks consequences, protection, and urgency.

The case of 38-year-old Elizabeth 'Ntontso' Moselakgomo intensified public anger. Moselakgomo, a mother, went missing after going for a run. Her family later identified her body at the Germiston morgue. The police deployed specialized resources to investigate her death alongside other murders.

The circumstances of the deaths are still being determined, and it would be irresponsible to claim that the women were killed by the same person before investigators establish that. However, six bodies in a concentrated geographical area demand an exceptional response.

Police have already involved multidisciplinary investigators and forensic specialists. One suspect is in custody in connection with the first body found in July. Investigators are now working to identify connections between these cases. Therefore, the public needs more than just assurances that investigations are underway; it needs results.

Because for the women living in eThekwini, the question is not whether the authorities will eventually explain what happened, but whether the state can prevent the next woman from becoming another case.

Murders in eThekwini occur against the backdrop of a national crisis. SAPS registered the murder of 569 women between April and June 2026, as well as 9201 rape cases. Over 60% of the rape cases sampled occurred in residential premises, challenging the notion that violence against women is a danger lurking somewhere outside the home.

The scale of this is precisely what led the government to classify GBVF as a national catastrophe in November 2025. This classification was intended to allow the government to coordinate its response, direct resources to the crisis, and strengthen accountability. The government also established a National GBVF Council to coordinate the national response.

However, almost a year after the declaration of the catastrophe, frontline organizations continue to report serious resource issues. The South African National Shelter Movement states that about 90% of shelters supported by them are struggling with funding and other forms of support. These facilities may be necessary for women trying to escape abusive homes, receive counseling, legal aid, or protect their children.

This reveals a fundamental contradiction. If GBVF is a national catastrophe, the infrastructure protecting its victims cannot be treated as a secondary issue.

South Africa is not alone in the fight against femicide. In Cameroon, reports indicate that over 120 women have been killed by intimate partners since the beginning of the year. In response, the government launched a three-month national campaign targeting femicide, domestic violence, gender inequality, and male dominance, focusing on prevention, reporting crimes, and prosecution.

Cameroon's campaign itself does not solve the problem. Campaigns only make sense when backed by functioning institutions. But the comparison raises an important question for South Africa: what does emergency action look like when a crisis has already been officially recognized?

It should mean swift police investigations. It should mean adequately funded shelters. It should mean prosecutors effectively handling cases. It should mean the enforcement of protection orders. It should mean early intervention when patterns of abuse emerge. And it should mean confronting the attitudes among men who normalize control, the right to dominate, and violence against women.

The most dangerous response right now will be another cycle of outrage followed by another declaration. The state has already acknowledged the problem. President Cyril Ramaphosa declared GBVF a national catastrophe, and the government established a status National Council and promised increased policing, survivor support, and prevention programs.

The question is no longer whether the government understands the crisis. The question is whether the system delivers results. This means publishing measurable targets for investigations, prosecutions, convictions, protection orders, shelter capacity, and police responsiveness. It means identifying where resources are lacking and addressing those gaps instead of creating another layer of bureaucracy. And it means that men must become part of the solution, not just receive instructions to condemn violence after another woman dies.

The women found in eThekwini cannot be reduced to statistics. Nor can the 569 murdered women in three months be reduced to statistics. South Africa has already named GBVF a national catastrophe. Now the state must act as if it believes its own declaration.

A profound question arises regarding how women should be perceived: merely as objects of respect? The author suggests that for the region's development, it is beneficial to view women not only as worthy but also as a force for creation. The real progress of any society is determined by how actively its half participates in the development process.

When women step beyond the threshold of the home and begin working in fields, factories, offices, markets, startups, self-help groups, and entrepreneurship, utilizing their labor and potential, it changes not only the lives of these women but also the direction of the entire economy. The increase in women's participation in labor activities under Yogi's government in Uttar Pradesh over the last nine and a half years serves as clear evidence of this.

The statistics on female strength in Uttar Pradesh are not just an increase in employment figures; they reflect an expansion of social awareness, according to which women are becoming participants in the family's economic responsibilities, acting as an active force for development, and taking charge of decision-making for themselves and their families. Prime Minister Yogi Adityanath has presented a vision of development based on female strength, and their presence has become extensive—from self-help groups to banking and digital services, from fields to small businesses, from traditional work to modern entrepreneurship.

This shift demonstrates that when opportunities, safety, skills, and institutional support converge, women's talent stimulates not only the family but the economy of the entire state. Although reverence for women exists in Indian thought, it becomes significant when embodied in policy, reflected in the budget, manifested in employee appointment procedures at police stations, and visible in the confidence of any daughter walking through a village street. In a vast state like Uttar Pradesh, where traditions are deeply rooted, this issue holds both deep political and economic significance.

A recent ceremony honoring working women in the Pindra constituency in Varanasi reflected this idea. More than ten thousand women—workers from Ayandadi, cooks, cleaners, Asha workers—gathered in one place. These were women whose labor long fueled the foundations of society, but until ten years ago, they lacked recognition. Today in Uttar Pradesh, this recognition is loud and reflected in the statistics.

The most fundamental indicator is the increase in the participation of female labor potential in the state from 12% to over 36%. This threefold jump cannot be the result of a single program. It is the consequence of a long process involving education, safety, and the provision of opportunities. When the state recognizes that a daughter's dream should not remain unattainable just because she was born into a poor family, it is obligated to support her at every stage—from education to capital.

Programs such as the Kanya Sumangala scheme, which provides financial support of ₹25,000 from birth to university graduation, reserving half the seats in Atal schools for daughters, expanding Kasturba Gandhi schools up to the 12th grade, and the upcoming inclusion of 50,000 talented daughters in the Rani Lakshmi Bai scheme, are not isolated elements but links in a single concept. The foundation of this concept is never leaving a daughter alone, but making her part of the mainstream.

The issue of safety is central to all these discussions, as while a woman does not feel safe, educational and employment opportunities remain incomplete. The increase in the number of female police officers in the state from 10,000 to 44,000 and the prospect of further growth is a message of strength. Shakti Mission centers, female police officers at women's stations, an integrated system of women's stations, and the creation of three PAC women's battalions in honor of historical heroines such as Virangana Avanti Bai Lodhi, Uda Devi Pasi, and Jalkari Bai are simultaneously symbolic and practical achievements.

After issues of safety and education, the third, perhaps most decisive link is economic self-sufficiency. Initiatives like Lakhpati Didi, Drone Didi, and BC Sakhi move women beyond traditional spheres and connect them with areas such as technology, banking, and entrepreneurship, which were previously dominated by men. Under the Ganga Project, 4,000 women entrepreneurs are planned to be prepared in 8,000 Gram Panchayats. This decision transforms the rural woman from a consumer into a producer and service provider.

The joining of over 400,000 women to dairy organizations such as Balini, Samarthya, Kashi, Baba Gorakhnath, and Srujani, their participation in over 96 million SMEs, and managing approximately half of the 24,000 startups shows that women are no longer just seeking jobs but creating them. This change permanently alters societal thinking, as a daughter or daughter-in-law in the home who possesses economic independence also becomes an equal participant in decision-making within that home.

An emotional connection throughout this picture is also the marriage of over 500,000 daughters under the government's collective marriage scheme. Furthermore, more than 10 million households have gained ownership of their homes through this program.

The author argues that it is time for women to abandon following others' norms and start living in accordance with their true essence. As a life transformation coach with twenty-six years of experience, the author often ponders what is possible when a person stops living according to societal templates imposed upon them and starts living based on their authentic 'self.'

Especially women, whether they realize it or not, are subjected to humiliation and exploitation, and they are dictated how they should dress, behave, and speak. This conditioning is so deeply rooted that today some women continue to do this to other women, especially those who refuse to be modest and fit into someone's agenda.

A natural question arises: whose interests does our desire to 'fit in' serve? The answer is obvious—those who benefit from it.

For centuries, patriarchy, described as 'wounded or toxic masculinity,' held control over women. From an early age, they are instilled with the necessity to submit to family expectations, social norms, and religious dogmas. None of this created conditions for women to truly flourish.

Instead, they were told: 'Conform. Do what is expected. Put everyone else first.' They were taught to serve the needs, moods, and desires of others.

This list of expectations includes being a good daughter, a good wife, a good mother, a successful professional, a person who keeps everything under control, remembers everyone's birthdays, is always present, and ready to give. The author again asks whose interests this list serves and urges readers to consider where they stood in this line of expectations.

It is time to wake up. It is necessary to start questioning imposed norms instead of quietly agreeing. This is not a revolution, but rather an evolution that begins within the woman herself.

It is time to awaken the goddess within. This goddess represents a sacred part of the personality: bright, joyful, playful, creative, intuitive, wise, and caring. She is also a part of the personality possessing sovereignty. She knows her worth, is capable of saying no, has high standards for herself, realizes her potential, is absolutely true to herself, defends her beliefs, and radiates confidence. She embraces pleasure and leads other women on this wonderful journey toward their own divine state.

Some people, both men and women, may resist this awakening, especially if the conditioning is very deep. However, this change will not be suppressed. Many will look at you with admiration and respect, seeing you as a guide for other women ready to awaken their divine feminine energy.

Toxic men may oppose this process. But a man in his divine masculine state will provide safety, structure, and support for the women in his life, allowing the divine femininity to unfold in all its glory. He understands that with her rise, he rises too.

An era is dawning for the manifestation of both divine femininity and the divine masculine principle. The divine masculine principle is leadership, but it is based on kindness, not control. He is proud of his role as provider and protector not out of egoism, but out of love.

Too many men live in a state of wounded masculinity, unable to lead, provide, or protect, waiting for women to tell them what to do, support them, and take care of them. This state also requires healing, and it is achieved when women embrace their divine femininity.

A woman shining in her glory and greatness, knowing her worth and purpose, attracts the Divine Masculine principle in a man. He takes on the role of provider and protector, and the cycle closes. No more gender struggle, no more competition for power. Instead—wholeness, dignity, and fullness of being. From this arises sacred partnership—the next stage of our evolution.