Western Cape universities have pledged their support for the safety for women on campus as South Africa commemorates Women’s Month in August.
Also read: Stop excluding transgender people from conversations about GBV
This comes as a research report by the South African Medical Research Council (SAMRC) found that female students at a greater risk of sexual victimisation.
One in five female students at some public universities and technical colleges, according to the report, have been sexually victimised.
Dr. Mercilene Machisa, a specialist scientist in the gender and health research unit, told IOL that 20% or more of female students at particular public universities and technical colleges had experienced sexual assault.
‘In 2018, at the height of GBV-related acts, the Department of Higher Education and Training (DHET) instructed us to do research on sexual violence amongst university students. We were tasked to look at the scale of the problem.
‘Part of what we discovered was that there was little to no data on sexual violence in universities. Especially in historically black universities. The findings also revealed a high prevalence of mental health that was triggered by sexual violence, some stemming from childhood,’ she said.
Explore Cape Town and its surroundings with these incredible deals on cars for under 100k. Find car listings here.
Sinovuyo Mkula, a final-year student at the University of the Western Cape, claimed that even though she did not live on campus and completed her practicals at a different campus, she felt safe there.
‘We have campus protection services that have a role in ensuring safety on campus and there is always security where we do practicals,’ she said.
A guide for emergency response has been distributed to all staff and students, according to CPUT spokesperson Lauren Kansley, in the event that any incidents occur on campus.
‘This assists in educating the university community at large about how to respond timeously to these kinds of attacks. Additionally, our Gender Based Violence Task Team meets with stakeholders like the National Prosecuting Authority and NGOs who deal specifically with GBV to continuously guide and update our own responses.
‘CPUT students are serviced by Campus Protection Services, Campus Health, Student Counselling and the assistance of local health and counselling services if required.The institution has a holistic response to any incidents which incorporates legal services, student affairs, student counselling and our HIV/Aids unit to name a few. Ultimately the welfare of all our students is our first priority while also doing what we can within our campus communities to make them safe learning spaces,’ she said.
Cape {town} Etc discount: Explore the beauty of Cape Town with this 60-minute cruise for one person for just R155 (valued at R310). Get the deal here.
Also read:
Picture: Sydney Sims /Unsplash