‘The research provides an opportunity to interrogate approaches to gender based violence within the church. It locates  gender based violence at the intersections of race, sexual diversity, religion and health, an analysis which could prove useful for those making public health policies and which may assist the church when making pronouncements on gender based violence,’ he said.

His research further showed that the Anglican Church through synod 2013 responded to the Anene Booysen gang rape and murder but failed to address other forms of gender based violence many of which are systemic to the church itself. He believes that such violence may also be located in aspects of theology, liturgy and iconography of the church.

Dr Mariam Khan, a natural medicine doctor in the field of Unani-Tibb, examined the lived experiences of South African Muslim women negotiating between their health-based contraceptive concerns and their pietistic concerns to observe God’s will through the course of being good wives.

The findings of her study indicate that a sample group representative of South African Muslim wives did not perceive themselves to be negotiating between health-based contraceptive concerns and piety.

‘Contraception is viewed in terms of the practical considerations of health and is unrelated to their pietistic concerns to observe God’s will. Instead, these South African Muslim women respond to moral conflicts by prioritising domestic responsibility and sexual availability to their spouses irrespective of personal desire. These considerations more than contraceptive concerns are determined by the need to acquire God’s favour through the observance of divine commands,’ she explained.

The other students who graduated from the programme, together with their dissertation titles were:

Ms Farhana Ismail: An Analysis of the Discursive Representations of Women’s Sexual Agency in Online Fatwa Sites: A Case Study of Askimam.org.

Supervisor: Dr F. Seedat

Ms Francoise Sahabo: An Analysis of the Perceptions of African Christian Men Regarding Family Planning Choices at the ‘Paran Pentecostal Church’ in Durban.

Supervisor: Dr. J. Muthuki

Ms Martha Mapasure: The Roman Catholic Church and Contraception: Exploring Married African Catholic Women’s Engagement with Humane Vitae.

Supervisor: Professor S. Rakoczy

Ms Maryam Bodhanya: Women’s Health-Seeking Behaviour in the Context of Sexual Violence, Sexual Health Rights, and the Muslim Community. A Case Study of Hope Careline Counselling.

Supervisor: Dr. S. Reddy

Ms Tania Owino: Mediating Human Rights and Religio-Cultural Beliefs: An African Feminist Examination of Conceptualisations of Female Genital Cutting (FGC) in the United Nations Children Fund—UNICEF Documents (2004–2014)

Supervisor: Professor. S. Nadar