Understand

Urban Safety in South Africa
Urban safety is recognised globally as an essential ingredient of urban development. In South Africa, uneven spatial distribution of safety affects the overall inclusivity, efficiency and functioning of cities. Find out more in this introduction.

Gender-based violence in South Africa
Gender-based violence (GBV) is a profound and widespread problem in South Africa, impacting on almost every aspect of life. This introduction examines GBV in South Africa and explores what different actors are doing as a response.
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Child Maltreatment in South Africa
The maltreatment of children has a negative effect on both their current well-being and their future life outcomes. South Africa now has its first nationally representative data on child maltreatment, which provide us with insights into the nature of this abuse but also how to prevent it.
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Peacebuilding in South Africa: A Brief Historical Overview
This page provides a brief historical overview of the peacebuilding sector in South Africa, which originated predominantly from two distinct religious/philosophical strands, namely that of the Quaker movement and the philosophy of Satyagraha or ‘‘truth force’‘.

Creating Safety through Placemaking
Placemaking is a way of looking at a place, thinking about it, and taking action in it, in order to make it a safer and better place to be.
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Xenophobic Violence in South Africa
In post-Apartheid South Africa, xenophobic attitudes have permeated the society and fuelled countless xenophobic attacks on non-nationals. Thousands of foreign nationals or those considered ‘outsiders’ have been harassed, attacked or killed, as a result of this violence.

Toxic Masculinity and violence in South Africa
When attempting to discover the reasons for violence in societies, it has been found that young males are predominantly both the perpetrators as well as the victims of violence, and this is called the victim-offender overlap. This has led to much research being done regarding men, masculinities and violence. Notions of masculinity, and what it means to be a man, seem to be the driving factor behind much of the risky behaviour that males engage in. In many studies, young men have identified violence as an important way to display power and to prove their masculinity in their communities.
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Prison Violence in South Africa: Context, Prevention and Response
Poor prison conditions elicit little concern in most societies, with some people even regarding prison rape and violence as “part of the punishment”. This is a vindictive and reactionary response to crime and negates legitimate and dignified forms of punishment. Many people do not realize that what happens in prison can affect them - both directly and indirectly.

Addressing Violence in South African Schools
When addressing school violence, it is important to focus not just on actual incidents of crime and violence but also the fear thereof and the impact this fear has on learner and educator well-being, school attendance, and the ability to teach and learn. Learners and educators should not only be free from crime and violence, but they should be free from the fear thereof.

Local government and safety promotion
The importance of ward councillors is constantly overlooked, yet they are highly influential in promoting social cohesion within communities. The personality and leadership of the ward councillor is often integral to the peace/violence present in a community. The role of the councillor is wrought with a duality that often goes unacknowledged. They are responsible to their communities and also to the municipal council: a situation that often seems impossible to navigate. Yet, when the community/council balance is not in place, communities suffer.