Since 1997, the Gender project has been actively engaged in research, education and advocacy work in the areas of sexual assault and domestic violence.

The Consortium, comprising the Institute of Criminology (UCT), Community Law Centre (UWC), Rape Crisis Cape Town and Border Health, was established to monitor the implementation of the new Domestic Violence Act. The Consortium is divided into two components :

• Domestic violence research, which is coordinated by the Institute for Criminology. Contact Lillian Artz at lartz@law.uct.ac.za
• Bail research, which is conducted by the Gender Project. Contact Raygaanah Barday at rbarday@uwc.ac.za

The Project has played an active role in the formulation of new legislation on domestic violence. During 1997, the Project (in association with Rape Crisis, Cape Town and the ANC Parliamentary Women's Caucus) submitted a detailed presentation on the Law Commission's Issue Paper on Domestic Violence.

A plain-language booklet explaining the provisions of the Domestic Violence Act and other legal options available to victims of domestic violence was produced in 2000 and is currently being updated and translated.

Education workshops were also held in preparation for the implementation of the Domestic Violence Act and Regulations.

The Project has also helped to develop national directives for prosecutors on dealing with domestic violence and sexual assault and conducted specialised training with prosecutors on sexual assault and intimate femicide.

The Project, as a member of the Consortium on Violence against Women (which includes the Institute of Criminology at UCT, Rape Crisis, Cape Town and the Women on Farms Project) has engaged in a three-year research project on monitoring how the legislation relating to bail has been applied in sexual assault cases.