Imagine being trapped with your abuser, with nowhere to hide. This is what happened to some women in South Africa last year during the first three weeks of the Covid-19 lockdown.

During that time alone, the government’s gender-based violence and femicide command centre recorded more than 120 000 victims. Later in the year, police minister Bheki Cele announced that South Africa was still the rape capital of the world, with about 132 incidents per 100 000 people.

The NWU has joined the fight against this shocking scourge. We are running a campaign to raise awareness about gender-based violence and related issues through six events that started in April and will continue until October. Click here to read more about how the NWU stands up against the abuse.