The GendV Project

These Dry Bones Live: South Africa’s Foundation of Sexual Violence by Athinangamso Nkopo

It may seem odd for an inquiry about current endemic sexual violence to do research in the archive going as far back as the 16th and 17th century. How can sifting through documents under themes such as gendered violence, race and gender structures shed light on our harrowing status quo? It seems...

Field Reflections by Tumi Mampane

Field Reflections by Tumi Mampane When I began my work as a research assistant for the GendV project I had no illusions about it being easy, not even as a person who is deeply embedded in Alexandra Township—its life, culture, and people. It can never be easy to tackle the issue of violence. So, I...

Women's Gurgaon: A story sharing platform for women in Gurgaon

24 November 2021

Women's Gurgaon: Meri Life Meri City Urban change does not just mean a new, modern landscape of highways, buildings and malls. It also involves transformation in people’s aspirations, identities and experiences. Even as new opportunities arise, new pressures, dangers and anxieties also affect the lives of people. In our...

My Life Our Stories Johannesburg

My Life Our Stories is a creative platform for story sharing and community engagement. We invite you to explore the pages where we hope you will find things that interest you and make you think about the lives of the diverse inhabitants and the city of Joburg itself.

Sanjay Srivastava: Burning of Thunberg’s images are symbolic warnings of possible fate that awaits woman seen as ‘too independent’

18 February 2021

Prof Sanjay Srivastava writes for the Indian Express , ' The symbolic burning of public women also represents rising masculine anxiety regarding women who are seen to be independent and willing to engage in public debates.' Read the full article here. (Illustration by C R Sasikumar).

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Watch Lisa Vetten speak about Gendered Violence in South Africa

Lisa Vetten is an activist, counsellor, para-legal and researcher with extensive experience in the field of violence against women. Lisa is also The GendV Project's Impact Consultant. Watch her speak on eNCA about the complexity of gender-based violence, and the public response to it.

Read the full interview here

The GendV Project's Shannon Philip speaks about Sexism and Masculinity on shethepeople.tv

'What does it mean to be a man, say to a teen boy? Or to a young man in his early twenties, out to prove his worth and earn peer respect? The recent Bois Locker Room has put this subject back into focus: that of toxic masculinity and how it impacts young men. And how stereotyping of male behaviour triggers a different male...

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Listen to this episode of India Tomorrow, a series from the Anthill Podcast by The Conversation - Women, Gender and Love

The Anthill Podcast present Part 4 of the India Tomorrow series. What is life like for women in India? 'This episode of India Tomorrow, a series from The Anthill podcast, digs into what life is like for women in India. We look at how much they are represented among the country’s lawmakers and whether they might even be...

Project Updates

Could nurses track domestic violence from stomach pains and headaches?

30 May 2022

"A long forgotten plan would have helped clinic nurses trace the signs of domestic violence and get people help. The policy was drawn up in 2001, but never made it off the page. Now, researcher Lisa Vetten says it’s time for the document to be resurrected." Written by Lisa Vetten. Read the full article on Bhekisisa here.

Watch our Panel Events on our YouTube Channel

24 January 2022

Two-Part Panel Event on Urban Transformation and Gendered Violence in India and South Africa In October we hosted a two-part panel event, one for our India team and one for our South Africa team. We were joined by guests Henrike Donner, Madhu Mehra, Margaret Abraham and Lisa Vetten for their comments and insight. You can...

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Media News

Stories of Our Soil: A Group Show at The Melrose Gallery, Johannesburg

2 August 2021

'Stories of Our Soil is a collection of creations that will be featured at The Melrose Gallery during Womxn’s Month, August 2021. This collection is an amalgamation of womxnhood, nature, our place within it, and how they have been exploited by our society. From an inner space, each of these artists have created raw...

Almost all young women in the UK have been sexually harassed, survey finds

10 March 2021

The Guardian reports: '96% of respondents did not report incidents, with 45% saying it would not change anything. Among those who said the event was not serious enough to report were women who had been groped, followed and coerced into sexual activity'. Read the full article on The Guardian UK.

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What is The GendV Project?

The GendV Project is an ESRC-funded Research Project exploring Urban Transformation and Gendered Violence in Delhi, India and Johannesburg, South Africa. It is based in the Department of Sociology at The University of Cambridge, and is led by Principle Investigator Dr Manali Desai.