What is it about?
This review examines gender-based violence in clinical training within South African universities. It explores why clinical students are vulnerable and recommends practical strategies to create safer, more inclusive learning environments.
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Why is it important?
Clinical training should prepare students for professional practice in safe and supportive environments. This review highlights how power imbalances, institutional cultures, and structural inequalities can increase the risk of gender-based violence during clinical training. It proposes practical, context-sensitive interventions, including survivor-centred reporting systems, gender-transformative programmes, stronger institutional accountability, and policies tailored to the diverse realities of South African higher education institutions. The study offers a framework that can help universities strengthen student safety, promote equity, and improve institutional responses to gender-based violence.
Perspectives
While gender-based violence in universities has received increasing attention, I was struck by how little research specifically addresses the experiences of students in clinical training environments. These settings present unique challenges because of their hierarchical structures, close supervision, and demanding working conditions. I hope this review encourages universities to move beyond policy statements and implement practical, sustainable interventions that protect students, strengthen accountability, and foster learning environments where everyone can thrive.
Judith Ani
Read the Original
This page is a summary of: Gender-Based Violence in Clinical Training: Insights Into and Call for Interventions in South African Higher Education Institutions, Social and Health Sciences, January 2026, UNISA Press,
DOI: 10.25159/2957-3645/19997.
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