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Her findings are deeply worrying.
The report with recommendations will only be released in June, but some preliminary findings have been released. According to SABC News, Simonovic says the acceptance of this type of violence in communities is extremely disconcerting. She states that there are still deeply rooted patriarchal attitudes regarding the role of women in society, making violence against women and children acceptable. SABC News also reports that she believes "the violence inherited from the Apartheid still resonates profoundly" and that violence is normalised.
She also believes that the police and judiciary systems are failing women. Not only because of the secondary trauma victims have to undergo when reporting rape and violence, but also because of the poor quality of investigations, the non-victim-friendly hearings and the lenient sentences given by magistrates who are still very much guilty of gender-stereotyping.
