Promoting gender-based violence awareness in higher education institutions: the case of student representative councils in selected South African universities

Abstract

Gender-based violence (GBV) has not only become a grave concern for society but also for higher education institutions (HEIs) all over the world. There is, however, limited research on the prevalence of GBV incidents on campuses as well as inconclusive studies on its effects on academic success of victims. This state of affairs is exacerbated by a lack of official statistics and reporting arrangements. GBV locates itself within various segments of society, including the student population of the country. The purpose of this study is to investigate ways in which GBV awareness in HEIs can be promoted by focusing on the particular contribution that Student Representative Council (SRC) members can make in this regard. To this end, this study followed a qualitative research design, a case study approach, and utilised semi-structured interviews as a data collection method to obtain rich data about the nature of the problem. The results were thematically analysed to interpret the findings. The primary objective of the study was to analyse challenges in promoting effective awareness of GBV by the SRC on South African campuses and to design a GBV awareness model for both university management and SRC members to address these challenges. The thematic analyses of findings revealed that there are various challenges associated with the awareness creation role that SRCs should play. Some of the most significant challenges include the general lack of university management support, limited funding for awareness programmes and campaigns, the general apathy of students and their limited participation in awareness programmes, as well as the general loss of trust in the justice system. The student population can be regarded as a micro cosmos of the larger population of the country. The challenges identified should thus also be interpreted within a broader social context where cultural norms influence conceptions of gender roles and human relations, and power dynamics influence the general priority given to GBV issues. In order to address the identified challenges and to propose a more suitable approach for GBV awareness creation on university campuses, various recommendations are made based on ten key themes. These themes were: the role of the SRC in GBV awareness creation; policies and structures in place to support GBV; reporting arrangements regarding GBV incidents; the influence of GBV on academic success of victims; university support and empowerment of the SRC in GBV matters; GBV awareness methods; the level of SRC involvement in the design and implementation of GBV programmes; student awareness of university support services and structures; challenges influencing the SRC to create awareness; and suggestions for promoting GBV awareness. Based on these themes and the triangulation of various data sets, the study proposed a GBV awareness model to assist universities and SRC members in designing and implementing effective GBV awareness campaigns on campuses.