What’s missing in GBV cases? An inquiry is trying to find out

This is a formal probe into who acts, who delays, who protects, and whose stories fall through the cracks. If you’ve ever stood in a police station and felt the system stalling, or watched a loved one navigate a maze of forms, clinics and court dates while still traumatised, you’ll understand what this inquiry is trying to achieve. What it is The inquiry is a phased probe by Chapter 9 bodies, where phase one zeroes in on survivors’ lived experiences and how the system behaves before any case reaches trial. Three Chapter 9 institutions – the Commission for Gender Equality (CGE), the South African Human Rights Commission (SAHRC) and the Commission for the Promotion and Protection of the Rights of Cultural, Religious and Linguistic Communities (CRL Rights Commission) – have launched a joint national inquiry into South Africa’s criminal justice system response to gender-based violence and femicide (GBVF). According to the commissions, “survivors continue to experience obstacles in accessing protection, support services and justice, while concerns remain over delays in reporting, inconsistent victim support, fragmented coordination among institutions and weaknesses in pre-trial processes”. What the GBV inquest will look at The commissions are asking what happens when survivors try to report: are they believed, protected, guided or pushed away? They want survivors’ experiences in the processes of getting access to protection orders, trauma‑informed care and psychosocial support. This also includes learning how front‑line services like Thuthuzela Care Centres, hospitals, shelters and victim‑support organisations perform. The commissions will also consider the experiences of children, persons with disabilities, LGBTQIA+ (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer/questioning, intersex and asexual) persons, migrants and other vulnerable groups, including cases where families are forced to speak when survivors can’t. Police response and investigation processes will also be under scrutiny, such as how fast (or slow) a case is handled from forensic handling to communication with survivors. In the name of improving the criminal justice system “The inquiry seeks evidence-based submissions that can assist in identifying systemic challenges and developing practical recommendations to strengthen South Africa’s response to GBVF,” the commissions said. SAHRC spokesperson Wisani Baloyi said, “The criminal justice system’s response to GBVF requires a coordinated, survivor-centred and accountable approach involving law enforcement agencies, prosecution services, courts, health services, social support services, community structures and other relevant stakeholders. “Concerns relating to delayed reporting processes, barriers experienced by survivors when accessing justice institutions and inconsistent victim support services continue to require urgent examination and systemic intervention.” How to submit and what to include If you have a story, a timeline, a pattern you’ve seen across clinics or police stations, or a practical fix that works, this is the channel for it.