Gender Based Violence Reporting Policies on South African University Campuses

The policy behind campus GBV response

The Department of Higher Education and Training published its Policy and Strategic Framework to Address Gender-Based Violence in the Post-School Education and Training Sector in July 2020. Higher Health , the sector's health and wellbeing body, is the implementing partner responsible for turning the framework into working systems on public university and TVET college campuses.

The framework requires every public institution to develop, or review, its own internal anti-GBV policy in line with the national document, and to report on implementation back to DHET. It followed years of pressure from student movements and researchers who documented how common gender-based violence was on South African campuses, and how inconsistent university responses had been from one institution to the next. Universities South Africa has tracked two linked national research studies on gender transformation and sexual harassment in the sector commissioned as part of this push.

Who runs your campus's GBV response

Higher Health places trained staff and student peer educators on campuses to run awareness programs, first-line support, and referrals. Most universities also run a Gender Equity Office, a GBV desk inside Student Affairs, or a Transformation Office that handles reports directly. Naming conventions differ between institutions, so check your university's website or student handbook for the exact office to approach.

• Campus GBV or Gender Equity Office

• Higher Health peer educators and wellness staff

• Student Affairs or Dean of Students

• Campus Protection Services, for immediate danger

• Residence life staff, when the incident happened in student housing

Prevention and awareness programs

Higher Health and campus GBV offices run prevention work alongside reporting channels, including orientation-week sessions for new students, bystander intervention training, and awareness campaigns during the annual 16 Days of Activism period. These programs aim to shift campus culture, not only respond after an incident, and attending one is a practical way to learn what support looks like on your specific campus before you need it.

Reporting for someone else

Raise a concern on behalf of a friend or classmate if needed, most campus GBV offices accept third-party reports. The office will normally still need to engage the affected student directly before opening a formal case, since consent drives what happens next. If someone confides in you, listen without pressuring them to report immediately, and offer to go with them if they decide to.

How the reporting and support process works

Report through your campus office in person, by phone, or through an online form where one exists. A report opens up to two separate tracks: an internal disciplinary process against the accused if they are a student or staff member, and a criminal case with the South African Police Service if the conduct is a crime such as assault or rape. Both tracks run independently, choosing not to open a criminal case does not stop the university process, and the reverse holds too.

DHET's framework asks institutions to work with the Departments of Health, Justice and Constitutional Development, and SAPS, so a report should connect you to medical care, legal support, and psychosocial counseling, not a disciplinary hearing alone.

What the university owes you once you report

Under the framework, institutions are expected to acknowledge your report promptly, explain the process and timelines in plain language, and offer interim protection while your case is investigated. This includes options such as a no-contact order, a change of residence or class, or a safety escort on campus. Ask your campus office directly what interim measures they offer and request them in writing.

Confidentiality rules protect your identity within the investigation, but ask upfront how your information will be handled and who will see it, so you know what to expect before you share full detail.

If the campus process does not work for you

Where your institution's response feels slow or inadequate, escalate to the vice chancellor's office or the university's ombuds office, where one exists. Raise concerns with DHET directly too, since the department monitors how institutions implement the framework. National oversight exists because implementation has varied across the sector.

Checking your specific university's policy

Implementation still varies between institutions even under one national framework, so read your own university's GBV or sexual harassment policy document directly rather than assuming it matches another campus. Student affairs offices are required to make this document available, and the students' representative council or union often keeps a copy too if the office is slow to respond.

Getting help outside the university

The South African Depression and Anxiety Group runs a 24-hour Suicide Crisis Line on 0800 567 567 and a Mental Health Line on 011 234 4837, and both take calls related to trauma from gender-based violence. These sit outside the university system entirely and do not require a formal report first. A Substance Abuseline, 0800 12 13 14, is also available around the clock if drug or alcohol use is part of what you are dealing with.