En outre, ce manuel est un guide sur la manière de concevoir des programmes axés sur les jeunes, et comprend des concepts de base et des thèmes clés qui devraient généralement être considérés lors de la conception et de la facilitation d'une formation dispensée aux jeunes sur la SMSPS et la PJTUA.

This manual does not include a comprehensive account of all MHPSS challenges and appropriate interventions. CSOs should aim to adapt the manual to their specific contexts to ensure that programmes are appropriate and meaningful to their intended community.

The manual provides guidance on how to design programmes that are youth focused, and includes basic concepts and key themes that should typically be considered when designing and facilitating training with youth on MHPSS and the AUTJP.

This article is published as part of the CSVR Justice Op-Ed Series for the 16 Days of Activism Against Gender-Based Violence.

The Bolwana* and Vayo* families are currently at odds with one another over the murder of their first granddaughter, who was brutally killed by her father, Stan Vayo*. The perpetrator has since been arrested, appeared before the Mthatha Magistrates Court, and ordered to undergo a full psychological assessment at the Nelson Mandela Academic Hospital before the criminal case can proceed. Yet this legal step offers little comfort. Both families remain suspended in grief, trapped in emotional turmoil, guilt, and the profound rupture that femicide leaves within a family system.

This tragedy is not an isolated incident. Globally, recent femicide estimates reveal that nearly 50 000 women and girls were killed by their partners last year, with Africa showing the highest number of intimate partner/family member femicide incidences per region1. In South Africa, recent media reports indicate a sharp increase in this crime, however, no official monitor exists which actively tracks cases of femicide when reported. Conviction rates for the crime are also reportedly low, with less than 1 in 5 of intimate-partner femicide cases ending in a court judgement2. While criminal justice is key to ensuring families and friends of the victim receive the meaningful closure they deserve, current policing and judicial processes lack sensitivity to the psychosocial needs of the bereaved during investigation, trial and post-conviction.

The post-traumatic impact of femicide experienced by those left behind is hardly recognised and prioritised in the quest for justice. Behind each femicide case remains parents, children, relatives and friends of the victim that must face the aftermath of the heinous crime and its psychological aftereffects, which can last for years. Unique family dynamics can further complicate the bereavement process for parties involved, for example, when the perpetrator shared a child/children with the victim or the perpetrator and their family are closely known to the victim's family. Therefore, it is imperative for family members and loved ones to receive dedicated emotional wellness support in tandem with the criminal justice process. The phenomenon of femicide has far-reaching and multifaceted impacts on families, which extend beyond the immediate loss of a loved one. Families of femicide victims frequently endure profound emotional and psychological trauma. The grief associated with such a violent loss can lead to enduring mental health issues, including depression, anxiety, and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Research has shown that the psychological ramifications can disrupt family dynamics and individual functioning, often resulting in a cycle of trauma that affects subsequent generations3. This emotional toll is compounded by the fact that femicide often occurs within contexts of intimate-partner violence, where families may already be grappling with existing trauma and stressors.

Children who witness or who are affected by the femicide of a parent face unique and severe challenges. Studies indicate that these children are at a heightened risk for emotional and behavioural problems, which can lead to difficulties in school, relationships, and their own mental health4. They may also be at greater risk of experiencing violence in their own lives, creating a generational cycle of violence that is difficult to break. In communities with high rates of femicide, societal fear and instability can become pervasive, undermining social cohesion and leading to increased violence and criminal activity5. This environment can affect not only the immediate families of femicide victims but also the broader community, as fear can stifle social interactions and support networks.

To ensure that access to justice for families and loved ones affected by femicide is trauma-informed and victim-centred, the following mechanisms must be put in place:

1. Immediate and specialised mental health and psychosocial support – This includes regular access to therapeutic services specific to the psychosocial needs of the families involved. The psychosocial support can involve trauma counselling, group grief therapy and family counselling to help rebuild the shattered family as a result of the violent act. The interventions must be long-term and structured in nature to allow loved ones ample time to process and adjust to the emotional repercussions of femicide.

2. Provision of quality social welfare services to child victims of femicide – To children who have lost one or both of their parents to femicide (either as perpetrator or victim of the crime), this can be an extremely distressing and unsettling period in their lives. It is crucial that minors who were under the care of the deceased victim be provided with sustained statutory services that seek to always promote the best interests of the children and inclusive of their views, where possible.

3. A strengthened focus on conflict resolution – As mentioned, femicide cases can often leave families in a state of disarray. Mediation should also be made paramount as part of the criminal justice process for containment of secondary matters that may arise post the gender-related killing such as child custody and family disputes.

4. Increased advocacy for standardised care-centred reparations for femicide victims across all provinces – Lawmakers must put systems in place within the judicial process that will allow for comprehensive and long-term support for victims of gendered-killings. This includes travel and accommodation costs at the expense of the State during legal proceedings, particularly for family members that reside far from the Court where a femicide case is being heard.

5. Strengthening of legal frameworks for stricter penalties for violence against women – Government must enforce laws that protect women from domestic violence and harassment, while ensuring that law enforcement agencies are adequately trained to respond effectively to reports of violence. In addition to this, concerted efforts must be done to increase the number of shelters, crisis hotlines and counselling to empower gender-based violence victims and offer them safe avenues to seek help.

6. Adopt and promote sustainable interventions for attitudinal change in boys and men – Civil society, the private sector and government institutions must play a greater role in engaging men and boys on progressive discussions about gender equality and respectful behaviours to build a culture that does not tolerate violence against women and girls.

Justice for families impacted by femicide must take on a multi-layered approach, one that acknowledges the emotional, social, and psychological dimensions of this devastating crime. While the system remains slow to evolve, families like the Bolwanas, the Vayos, and countless others continue to shoulder the heavy and often invisible burden of grief as they fight for accountability.

The opinion piece is written in memory of girls and women everywhere who have fallen victim to the senseless act of femicide as well as the bereaved families and friends left behind.

* The names of the families and individuals in this piece have been altered to safeguard their identities

What happens when the very technologies built to connect and empower us become weapons of surveillance, control, and gendered harm? Over the last decade, digital tools and online spaces have transformed how people organise, mobilise, and advocate for gender equality and social justice. Movements like #MeToo, #BringBackOurGirls, the Gen Z anti-Finance Bill protests, monitoring of the extreme sexual violence in South Sudan, as well as the recent wave of South African online platforms turning purple to raise awareness of gender-based violence and femicide, all grew through the reach of online networks. Yet the same tools are reported to drive a surge in sexual and gender-based violence (SGBV), both online and offline, threatening to undermine the long-standing fight for gender equality. This year's 16 Days of Activism to End Gender-based Violence draws global attention to technology-facilitated gender-based violence (TFGBV), under the theme: "UNiTE to End Digital Violence against All Women and Girls". Often referred to as technology-facilitated violence against women and girls (TF-VAWG), these harms increasingly affect women, girls, and gender diverse people. TFGBV encompasses acts of violence that are committed, assisted, or amplified through digital tools and platforms, targeting individuals based on gender. These abuses take many rapidly evolving forms, such as deepfake image-based sexual abuse, non-consensual sharing of intimate images, online harassment, doxing, impersonation, and cyberstalking, among others.

While social media and digital platforms have opened unprecedented opportunities for connection and advocacy, they have also intensified risk, particularly for women, girls and LGBTQ+ people. According to a 2020 Economist Intelligence Unit study, 85% of women globally reported experiencing or witnessing online violence, with higher prevalence in countries marked by entrenched gender inequality. Deepfake technologies reveal an even starker gender disparity; an estimated 96% of deepfakes are non-consensual, and 99% of sexual deepfakes involve women.

Digital violence has profound consequences. It compromises the safety, security, and well-being of women and gender-diverse individuals, and undermines the hard-won gains toward gender equality fought for offline. Recent reports document that artificial intelligence and algorithmic systems, from social media platforms, including X, Instagram, Facebook to search engines, are biased, often reproducing existing racialised and gendered discrimination found offline. In many cases, automated machine systems reproduce and often amplify social differences and inequalities. Online abuse, therefore, produces real-world harms.

Victims of TFGBV often experience emotional and psychological distress, including anxiety, depression, indignity, social isolation, and embarrassment. Abusers also use technology to monitor and track victims, creating serious threats to physical safety. Online abuse can damage reputations, limit employment opportunities, and in the worst cases, contribute to suicide or escalate into criminal acts such as extortion and brutal violence.

This raises a critical question: What does protection and justice look like in a world where violence transcends borders and evolves faster than the laws meant to contain it?

In recent years, international, regional, and national bodies have begun developing normative instruments to directly address TF-VAWG. The African Commission on Human and Peoples' Rights Resolution on the Protection of Women Against Digital Violence in Africa ACHPR/Res.522 (LXXII) 2022 calls on all States to expand definitions of gender-based violence to include cyber-harassment, cyberstalking, sexist hate speech, and other forms of violations targeting individuals based on gender, particularly women. The 2024 African Union Convention on Ending Violence Against Women and Girls (AU CEVAWG) urges Member States to establish legally binding obligations to address violence against women and girls on online platforms and in digital spaces. In South Africa, the Cybercrimes Act (2020) criminalises online harassment, the Protection from Harassment Act (2011) enables victims to seek protection orders, and the Film and Publications Act (1996) regulates harmful online content, amongst others. The Domestic Violence Amendment Act (2021) also recognises harassment via electronic communication. Despite these commitments, there are limitations in the language used to describe these crimes and in how the law comprehends and addresses these violations.

Confronting TFGBV, therefore, requires a holistic, survivor-centred approach to justice. TF-VAWG cases often involve cross-border creation and circulation of content, making it difficult to prosecute perpetrators or identify those responsible. The ever-changing environment of artificial intelligence, social media, and other digital tools also means new harms that laws often have to play catch-up. This means recognising justice as more than a legal remedy, but also ensuring safety, dignity, respect, and access to systems that do not re-traumatise survivors.

States must criminalise emerging forms of digital abuse, strengthen cross-border cooperation, develop transparent and rapid content-removal mechanisms, properly resource enforcement and support services, and integrate digital safety into education systems. Equally crucial is ensuring that women participate meaningfully in the design, development, monitoring, and evaluation of digital platforms and technologies.

Without strong accountability and coherent legislative and policy frameworks, the "justice gap" will only widen, leaving survivors unprotected and unheard in the very spaces meant to elevate their voices.