Universal Periodic Review, violence against women and state capacity: Evidence from South Africa

South Africa has a high prevalence of violence against women (VAW). The Universal Periodic Review (UPR) mechanism is one of the many ways through which this issue is being addressed. This article examines the extent to which South Africa has implemented the second and third cycle UPR recommendations concerning VAW as well as the state's capacity to influence implementation. The UPR recommendations can safeguard women's rights to be free from violence in South Africa. However, state capacity plays a limited role in implementing these recommendations. The findings indicate that South Africa has fully or partially implemented the majority of VAW recommendations for both the second and third UPR cycles. However, a strong level of state capacity is associated with fewer fully implemented recommendations.