CiteNScope — Scholarly Index & Analytics
Discover / IJBESPUBLICATION RECORD

The Impact of cultural practices on the infringement of women's human rights in South African communities

Decent Munzhelele ORCID ↗ · Andani Sweetness Munzhelele · Edward Munzhelele Humbulani

International Journal of Business Ecosystem & Strategy · 2025 · Vol. 7 / Issue 3 · 430-440

Research reach

Publication metrics

External links open provider records or DOI searches. Provider counts are not combined. Mendeley readership measures saves, not citations.

Dimensions

Live provider badge. If unavailable, use the Dimensions link above.

CROSSREF CITATIONS0

Observed 21 Oct 2026, 00:14 UTC

OpenAlex · Citations0Cached provider observation

Observed 21 Oct 2026 00:14 UTC

Mendeley · Readers—No verified count available

OpenAlex and Mendeley observations refresh on article visits, at most once per 24 hours. Unavailable data is not zero. Google Scholar opens a DOI search.

OpenAlex / Citation year

Annual citations to this article

View provider totals ↑

Citations received by this article, grouped by the year of the citing work. Crossref and OpenAlex lifetime totals remain separate in Publication metrics.

2017–2026 Annual history last updated:

Citations received

OpenAlex · year of the citing work

OpenAlex

Hover over a year or focus the chart and use arrow keys to inspect values.

2017–2026 annual-history window. 2026 is year to date. Unknown years have gaps.

View data & coverage

2026 is incomplete. Within a successfully fetched ten-year window, omitted years mean zero. Years beyond a saved observation’s window remain unknown (—). Older citations are excluded, so this chart’s sum may differ from the OpenAlex lifetime total. The date above belongs to this annual history; an unsuccessful refresh keeps the previous observation.

Overview

Abstract

The suppression of women’s human rights is a significant and growing issue in South African communities. This is due in part to the persistence of cultural practices that endorse gender norms and perpetuate inequality. Such practices have far-reaching consequences that impact women’s physical, sexual, economic, and social wellbeing, among other things. This study aimed to examine the impact of cultural practices on the violation of women’s human rights in South African communities. Specifically, it seeks to understand how such practices are perpetuated and reinforced by the local context, how they affect vulnerable groups, and what measures can be taken to combat their harmful effects. The study used a qualitative exploratory research design, using a desktop approach. This method allowed researchers to explore the issue comprehensively and gain insights into the experiences of women in South African communities. The data was collected through reviews of literature. The data collected was analyzed thematically, with codes and categories developed based on the literature review and the research questions. The study generated new knowledge and insights into the impact of cultural practices on the infringement of women's human rights in South African communities. The study’s findings made a significant contribution to the body of knowledge on the subject, expanding our understanding of the cultural, social, and economic factors that perpetuate gender inequality in South African communities. This study provided the government and policymakers, and communities to address the infringements of women’s rights.

Authors & affiliations

Decent Munzhelele
Affiliation not supplied

Andani Sweetness Munzhelele
Affiliation not supplied

Edward Munzhelele Humbulani
Affiliation not supplied

Deposited references

Supplied references, not a list of publications citing this article.

DOI: 10.1353/fem.2013.0033

Ahmed, S., & Khan, S. (2023). Cultural justifications for female genital mutilation: A human rights perspective. International Journal of Women’s Studies, 15(3), 45–63. https://doi.org/10.1080/23456789.2023.2000378

Al-Krenawi, A., & Graham, J. R. (2022). Gender-based violence in traditional Arab communities: The cultural constraints on women’s rights. Journal of Gender and Society, 10(2), 91–108. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jgs.2022.08.014

Brah, A., & Sharma, S. (2010). Cultural practices and women’s human rights: Intersectionality, agency, and global discourse. Gender & Development, 18(1), 83–94. https://doi.org/10.1080/13552071003610155

Bunting, L., & Stevenson, P. (2024). Child marriage and its impact on women’s education and empowerment. Human Rights Quarterly, 46(1), 25–48. https://doi.org/10.1353/hrq.2024.0005

Chopra, R., & Mahajan, R. (2016). Culture and women’s human rights: A critical analysis of gendered violence. Oxford University Press.

Choudhury, S. (2022). Dowry practices and domestic violence: The intersection of culture and human rights. Journal of Family Violence, 38(6), 627–640. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10896-02200377-1

DOI: 10.1353/hrq.2019.0057

Dillard, M., & Thacker, M. (2021). The persistence of honor killings: Cultural practices and their legal implications for women’s rights. International Review of Law and Women’s Rights, 29(4), 175–193. https://doi.org/10.1080/987654321.2021.1234567

Dunne, M. (2010). Women’s rights, cultural practices, and international human rights law: An overview. Journal of International Women’s Studies, 11(3), 1–15. https://vc.bridgew.edu/jiws/vol11/iss3/1

El-Sayed, M., & Hamdan, R. (2023). Rituals and violence: Cultural practices harming women in North Africa. Journal of Ethnographic Research, 12(2), 34–51. https://doi.org/10.1123/jerr.2023.0056

Gohari, M. (2022). The human rights violations of forced marriage: Cultural practices versus individual freedom. Global Journal of Women’s Rights, 18(3), 203–220. https://doi.org/10.1080/27548510.2022.1903928

González, C., & González, M. (2012). Traditional cultural practices and women’s rights violations in the Global South: A feminist analysis. Feminist Theory, 13(4), 405–420. https://doi.org/10.1177/1464700112454199

Hossain, M. (2012). Revisiting cultural practices in South Asia and their impact on the violation of women’s human rights. Journal of Human Rights Practice, 4(2), 281–298. https://doi.org/10.1093/jhuman/huq026

Hossain, S. M. (2019). Women’s rights and cultural practices in South Asia: A historical perspective. Cambridge University Press.

Jäkel, F. (2017). Cultural practices and the violation of women’s rights: A cross-cultural comparison of honor killings and their legal treatment. International Journal of Human Rights, 21(2), 190–208. https://doi.org/10.1080/13642987.2016.1187040

DOI: 10.1111/j.1467-7660.2012.01785.x

Khan, A., & Rasheed, M. (2021). Gender-based violence in South Asia: Understanding the cultural and legal frameworks. Asian Journal of Law and Society, 16(4), 241–258. https://doi.org/10.1017/als.2021.345

DOI: 10.1111/josi.12475

Mahmood, A. (2022). Women’s rights in traditional Islamic contexts: The implications of cultural practices on gender equality. International Journal of Islamic Studies, 21(2), 99–115. https://doi.org/10.1080/23273513.2022.1851763

Mukhija, D. (2011). Cultural and social practices as human rights violations: The case of forced marriage and female genital mutilation in the African diaspora. Journal of Human Rights, 10(4), 505–521. https://doi.org/10.1080/14754835.2011.642794

Ndirangu, C., & Njiru, S. (2024). The dangers of female circumcision in African cultures: Cultural practices and women’s health violations. African Journal of Gender and Human Rights, 7(1), 51–67. https://doi.org/10.1111/ajghr.2024.0047

DOI: 10.1177/0020764003494004

Okoro, F., & Roberts, L. (2023). Cultural practices and reproductive rights: Analyzing the impact of early childbearing and forced reproduction on women. Global Health and Human Rights, 12(3), 205–220. https://doi.org/10.1093/ghhr/12.3.205

Pande, R. P., & Seth, A. (2017). Social norms, culture, and women’s human rights: Understanding the role of patriarchy in the perpetuation of violence. Global Health Action, 10, 1283479. https://doi.org/10.1080/16549716.2017.1283479

Rao, A. (2011). The feminist voice: Women’s rights in the context of cultural and religious practices. Women’s Studies International Forum, 34(4), 268–276. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.wsif.2011.02.004

Robinson, H., & Lavoie, E. (2021). The challenges of eradicating honor-based violence in South Asian immigrant communities. Journal of Immigrant and Refugee Studies, 25(1), 12–30. https://doi.org/10.1080/15562948.2021.1864451

Sikka, T. (2010). Traditional practices and human rights violations: A case study of the cultural consequences of child marriage in India. Journal of Human Rights Practice, 2(3), 258–276. https://doi.org/10.1093/jhuman/huq024

Smith, N., & Wilson, J. (2022). Enforcing gender equality in the face of traditional practices: Policy recommendations for combating forced marriages and FGM. Journal of Human Rights Policy, 15(2), 147–164. https://doi.org/10.1080/16738142.2022.1189324

DOI: 10.1016/j.socscimed.2015.08.022

Zubair, M., & Sulaiman, A. (2023). Violence in the name of tradition: A critical examination of ritual abuse and cultural justification for oppression of women. Journal of Cultural Anthropology and Human Rights, 28(4), 374–389. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jcar.2023.07.009