This background paper was prepared for the Commonwealth Secretariat in May 2007 by Mariama Williams, Adjunct Associate, Center of Concern, Washington DC and Research Adviser for the International Gender and Trade Network.

This report presents research on the costs of implementing South Africa's Domestic Violence Act (DVA), with a focus on quantifying missing personnel costs. It describes the methodology used in the research, the process required to obtain a protection order and the time taken at each step.