Gun-related domestic violence has come under the spotlight at the launch of the “Removing the Trigger” campaign in Cape Town. Civil society organizations including Gun Free South Africa say the campaign aims to create awareness of the existing provisions in the current legislation to strengthen the rights of victims.
Gun and gender-based violence remain a scourge in South Africa and the country has the unenviable status of being among the five countries with the highest rates of femicide in the world. Activists say firearms must be removed from homes, specifically in cases where domestic violence occurs.
“The latest financial year stats for 2022/2023 show that there are almost 4,000 femicide cases nationally. So, what that means is that there are 4,000 cases of women who were killed by their partners. Of that, about a third are gun-related. So, you can see we are really honing into a fairly narrow number, but we know that because the legislation supports us to some extent, that through talking to people like the national shelter movement, that this is an issue for women and there is something that we can do about it,” says Adele Kirsten, Gun Free South Africa.
Civil Society organisations say the firearms control and domestic violence acts do make provision for firearms to be removed from vulnerable households where domestic violence occurs. But that, domestic violence survivors must inform authorities if there is a firearm in the home.
“There’s two places; the one is to go and report a case of domestic violence at the police station, but the other is approach their magistrates court, go to the domestic violence section and apply for what’s known as a domestic violence protection order. Within that order, they can ask the court to have a firearm removed. The magistrate can then order police to remove that firearm. So, at least that is taken away and the act makes provision for this to happen. Whether it’s part of the abuser’s employment or not, they can have their firearm removed,” says Kerryn Rehse, Mosaic Training Service & Healing Centre.
The campaign aims to look for loopholes in the laws, which hamper women’s right to safety.
“There’s a lot that I know of that also lost their children in gun violence, but they don’t come out. They stay there and sit there in the situation. They never come out and ask for help and join groups that can know what to do and handle their cases,” says Jane Douglas, Atlantis resident.
Gun Free South Africa says while there is some protection within the two laws, they can be strengthened.
Video: Spotlight on gun violence in SA with Kerryn Rehse
