The disturbing truth about violence against women

According to official crime statistics as presented to the police committee in Parliament in March 2017, 447 murders were committed with firearms in quarter one (spanning from April 1 to December 2016).
A staggering 109 of the total 14 333 reported cases of murder in the time period, were taxi-violence related murders. Gauteng, particularly at The Mall of Africa in Midrand, was among the highest contributors regarding road disputes leading to murder.
Domestic violence also played a role in increasing violence reported in the first semester of the financial year, with 344 murders related to such incidents.
There are a number of reasons for increases in violent crimes in society and economic instability and binge drinking are amongst them. Shocking statistics on rape in South Africa tell a story of a society where women remain at risk. In an advertisement featuring South African born actress Charlize Theron, she quotes stats of one rape every 26 seconds in SA. Whilst these figures have been hotly debated, they certainly get the message across that rape in South Africa is widespread.
According to an article in The Economist:
• for every rape in South Africa, another nine are not reported
• a woman is raped every 13 minutes
• 38% of men have women to have sex with them
It is time for us to change the dialogue. It is no longer acceptable to ignore the simple truth that our women are in danger and each of us is responsible to change this disturbing truth. Real men don’t abuse women. Teach your sons to respect women and treat them appropriately and report violence to police.