South Africa

southafrica

The Republic of South Africa has an estimated population of 50.5 million (UN, 2010). The capitals are Pretoria (executive capital), Cape Town (legislative capital), and Bloemfontein (Judicial capital). Johannesburg, however, is the largest city. South Africa has an area of 1.22 million sq km (470,693 sq miles). There are 11 official languages in South Africa, including English, Afrikaans, Sesotho, Setswana, Xhona, and Zulu.

South Africa has suffered from decades of apartheid. South Africa was governed by a white minority government from 1948 to 1994 against the majority of black community. According to apartheid government, the white and black communities should separated into exclusive areas based on race. The election of 1994, which brought the African National Congress to power, signified the end of apartheid rule.

In South Africa, women are well represented in the government. Women make up 30 percent of the parliamentarians, which makes South Africa one of the top countries in terms of gender equality in the government. Violence against women, such as rape and domestic violence, is highly widespread in South Africa. It is estimated that one in three South African are victims of rape, one in six South African women is a victim of domestic violence, and four women are said to be killed everyday by their intimate partners.
 

  • South Africa has ratified the Protocol to the African Charter on Human and Peoples' Rights on the Rights of Women in Africa (The Maputo Protocol) on the 17th of December 2004.
  • The Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW) was ratified by South Africa on the 15th of December 1995.
  • South Africa has not yet adopted a National Action Plan on United Nations Security Council Resolution 1325 (UNSCR 1325).
  • There are no former or current UN peacekeeping mandates in South Africa.

Source: BBC, AlertNet, CIA, UN, SIGI,



SOUTH AFRICA: Racing Against Domestic Violence
SOUTH AFRICA: Raises Women's Health Awareness at UN
SOUTH AFRICA: Rallies Against Fatal Gang Rape
SOUTH AFRICA: Ramaphosa's Gender-Balanced Cabinet to Tackle 'Bloated' Government
SOUTH AFRICA: Rape - The Violence of Silence
SOUTH AFRICA: Rape Crisis Faces Closure
SOUTH AFRICA: Rape Culture: Let's End The Blame Game
SOUTH AFRICA: Rape Is Rape
SOUTH AFRICA: Rape Stats Deceptive Due to Under-Reporting
SOUTH AFRICA: Rape Stats Unacceptably High - Mthethwa
SOUTH AFRICA: Rape, a Scar from Apartheid
SOUTH AFRICA: Rapes Stats Down - 'Not Nearly Enough'
SOUTH AFRICA: Rapists Remain Free While Sexual Violence Goes Unreported
SOUTH AFRICA: Re-thinking traditional feminine hygiene products for Africa's young women
SOUTH AFRICA: Reading, Writing and Trauma in the Labour Ward
SOUTH AFRICA: Redrafted Traditional Courts Bill encourages 'equal participation of women'
SOUTH AFRICA: Redrafted Traditional Courts Bill encourages 'equal participation of women'
SOUTH AFRICA: Religious Leaders Pledge Support in Fight Against Domestic Violence
SOUTH AFRICA: Reproductive Health Key to Population Development - MEC
SOUTH AFRICA: Reproductive Services Could Open Door to HIV Prevention
Go to top