# Deputy Minister in the Presidency for Women, Youth and Persons with Disabilities, Mmapaseka Steve Letsike, has called for stronger regional cooperation and collective action to accelerate efforts to end gender-based violence and femicide across Southern Africa. Findings from the Human Sciences Research Council show that 33.1-percent of women aged 18 and older have experienced physical violence during their lifetime. Letsike says addressing GBVF requires more than criminal justice interventions, as violence is influenced by social norms, economic conditions, institutional cultures and the quality of the State’s response.
Deputy minister Letsike calls for stronger regional action against GBVF