Empowering communities – strategies to break the cycle of violence against women and children

For nearly three decades, South Africa has commemorated the annual 16 Days of Activism against Gender-Based Violence. Yet the sad reality is that 16 days of raising awareness is not enough to counter 365 days of harmful social norms that perpetuate high levels of violence against women and children in homes and communities – from one generation to the next. 

Widespread harmful social norms embed violence within everyday life and are reinforced through cultural traditions and religion, perpetuating the intergenerational cycle of violence. These include ideas that men must always lead, that women should be submissive and that corporal punishment is the best form of discipline for children. 

While awareness-raising campaigns are important, they risk becoming tokenistic unless accompanied by sustained, community-driven transformation of social norms. Such efforts must challenge gender inequality while promoting accountability and care within communities, whether among people living in the same area or those who share common characteristics, cultural traditions, religious beliefs or experiences.

The South African Child Gauge 2025 makes a critical observation: South Africa has put in place progressive policy and legal frameworks but has failed to reduce violence against women and children because shifts in social norms have lagged behind. 

To address the intersections of violence against women and children, prevention must be reimagined as a shared societal project – not just the responsibility of the government or women’s and children’s rights organisations. Communities must act as contributors of solutions, rather than simply observers or passive participants in the violence around them. Changing harmful social norms should begin with creating safe spaces that encourage community dialogues about breaking entrenched gender roles and promoting non-violence. 

Breaking the Cycle is an example of a transformative community dialogue run by the Centre for the Study of Violence and Reconciliation (CSVR) in known hotspots across Gauteng and the Western Cape. This initiative brought men together in safe, non-judgemental spaces to reflect, share their own experiences and take responsibility for challenging the norms fuelling violence. Through candid conversations, participants openly discussed witnessing, surviving or even perpetrating violence, which helped them recognise how gender expectations shape behaviour and generate vulnerability. Though such social norm shifts are often gradual and deeply personal, the project shows how engaging men as partners in healing and accountability is key to building safer and more equitable relationships.

Yet, to achieve lasting harmful social norm change, women’s and children’s voices must remain central, ensuring that they have influence over decisions that affect their lives. Those working to prevent violence should find ways to engage women and children in identifying community needs, as well as in designing, implementing and evaluating solutions. By sharing their experiences, women and children can help shape interventions and guide every stage of the prevention continuum to promote social cohesion, provide support for those affected by violence and hold perpetrators and response systems accountable.

Breaking the cycle of intergenerational violence and overcoming fragmented responses is only possible when local action and ownership are prioritised. Communities need to drive initiatives with strong support from the relevant government departments, civil society partners, traditional and faith leaders, local service providers and the media. Driving meaningful change through local action involves training champions from within the community – whether they are teachers, police officers, health workers, survivor advocates, faith leaders or traditional authorities – and equipping them with skills and knowledge about programmes and approaches to prevent violence, support survivors and hold services accountable. Such collaboration enables communities to track what is working and make changes based on their unique needs. 

Faith communities offer a valuable entry point for violence prevention, as faith leaders can play a powerful role in challenging harmful social norms and reshaping families and communities when given the right support and training. The Sexual Violence Research Initiative has established a Community of Practice that brings together more than 700 faith leaders and practitioners from across Africa to explore how they can initiate conversations within their congregations to promote non-violent parenting and gender-equitable relationships.

Sustained, meaningful community engagement is urgently needed to end the scourge of interconnected violence against women and children in South Africa. This requires consistent local action and capacity building, where community partners work together with researchers, the government and civil society to co-develop, implement and evaluate evidence-based programmes with proven impact. South Africa must embrace 365 days of community ownership, collective action, and shared accountability to instil social norms that promote the safety and dignity of every woman and child. DM

Prof Machisa is a senior specialist scientist at the SA Medical Research Council’s Gender and Health Research Unit and an editor of SA Child Gauge 2025. Dr Nkosi is a specialist scientist at the SA Medical Research Council’s Mental Health, Alcohol, Substance Use and Tobacco Research Unit and co-authored the chapter on engaging communities in preventing violence against women and children in the SA Child Gauge 2025.