The National Assembly has passed three crucial Bills to fight gender-based violence and femicide. They are the Criminal and Related Matters Amendment Bill, Domestic Violence Amendment Bill and the Criminal Law (Sexual Offences and Related Matters) Amendment Act. The Bills were introduced in Parliament following a Presidential Summit on gender-based violence and femicide in 2018.

The summit resolved to fast track the review of existing laws and policies to fight GBV. The ANC Parliamentary Caucus says the Bills will ensure that the rights and lives of women, children, members of the LGBTQIA-plus community, and society at large are protected and perpetrators of gruesome crimes given deserving sentences.

To assist us on this we are joined by Lisa Vetten, research and project consultant at the University of Johannesburg and Kerryn Rehse an advocacy, policy and research officer at MOSAIC (a training and service centre combating abuse and gender based violence).