Legal news and commentary from the offices of Simon Dippenaar
Know your rights Weeks after the first Olympic Games in history to achieve gender parity and some stellar performances by women athletes in Paris, the world was shocked by the death of Ugandan marathon runner Rebecca Cheptegei, who was set alight by her boyfriend in Endebess, Kenya. Cheptegei is the fourth female athlete to be […]
What constitutes discrimination? One of the principal tenets of our Constitution is equality under the law. The Bill of Rights is the cornerstone of the Constitution, and Section 9 deals with equality. Discrimination is covered in subsections 3-5, which state: (3) The state may not unfairly discriminate directly or indirectly against anyone on one or […]
What is the Code and what does it mean for employers and employees? Have you or has someone you know been sexually harassed at work? The likelihood is significant: approximately 30% of women had experienced sexual harassment in the workplace, according to a 2019 survey by the South African Human Rights Commission (SAHRC). The Labour […]
The Protection Against Harassment Act of 2011 is there to help Attention is sharply focused on violence against women right now, as the world observes 16 Days of Activism for No Violence Against Women and Children. This campaign has its roots in protests about the use of physical violence against women. But violence and abuse […]
You may have heard the shocking story of Sarah Everard, a London woman who went missing and was later found dead, a police officer arrested on suspicion of her murder. She was walking home from a friend’s house around 9.00 in the evening, an act that should be perfectly safe (in London, if not in […]
Nude selfies and use of such apps should not be taken as ‘blanket consent’, says CPS Reprinted from the Guardian, by Caelainn Barr – 2020-10-19 Dating apps like Tinder have come out on top of conventional dating websites like Match.com, at least among those under 35. As users exchange intimate photos and messages before even […]
Reprinted from joburg.org.za – 2020-08-19 The City expects law enforcement agencies to take stern action against perpetrators of Gender-Based Violence (GBV), all the while guaranteeing protection for victims. It is incumbent on law enforcement officials to create safer conditions that ensure female victims reporting cases of violence against male perpetrators are not re-victimised. These are […]
This article was written by the executive director of White Ribbon Australia, part of a global social movement working to eliminate gendered violence. Replace “Australia” with “South Africa” and everything he says is equally true of our society. Inequality is so deeply embedded structurally that men and women alike see nothing wrong with mother-in-law jokes […]
We’ve written about coercive control previously. If you’re still unsure what behaviours can be classed as coercive control, this article from the UK Guardian tells one woman’s story. Sally Challen was convicted of murdering her abusive husband and sentenced to 18 years’ imprisonment in 2011. Last year her conviction was overturned. Her son, David Challen, […]
Violence against women in the workplace – time for it to stop! 16 Days of Activism for No Violence Against Women and Children runs from 25 November till 10 December each year. In fact, the 25th of November is specifically observed as the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women, an initiative started […]
“Shows with traumatic plotlines are shifting the national debate” The Netflix mini-series, Unbelievable, may be an American production, but its story is resonating with women all over the world. Conversation has turned to a discussion of Unbelievable in Cape Town and Johannesburg bars and coffee shops more than once recently. What is your view of […]
Sexual harassment is making headline news worldwide. Just how pervasive this is has been highlighted in recent months as women across the world speak out for the first time, as the #MeToo campaign gains momentum.
