Publications
HST provides free electronic access to over 500 health systems research related reports, publications and papers. Close to 300 of these are publications that have been commissioned and funded by the Trust. Topics include among others district systems development, drug supply management, human resource development, informatics, legislation, finance, environmental health, mental health, lessons learnt, nutrition and sexually transmitted diseases / HIV/AIDS. The main publication of the HST is the annual South African Health Review. From 2005 all HST publications will be available in low resolution only. To explore the range of publications HST offers use the Advanced search to search using a variety of criteria.

It is endemic in most societies across the world,but remains unrecognised as silent socio-economic, public health and political issue, largely absent from national and international agendas. It has only recently been recognised by the United Nations as a fundamental abuse of women 's human rights (Human Rights Watch 1995).

The Canadian Panel on Violence Against Women states in the introduction to its report that: It is abundantly and indisputably clear that women will not be free from violence until there is equality, and equality cannot be achieved until the violence and the threat of violence is eliminated from women 's lives (Canadian Panel on Violence Against Women,1993).

The South African government has expressed a commitment at policy level to eradicate gender violence.

The South African Constitution and Bill of Rights now contains clauses that safeguard and promote women 's rights as human rights. There is explicit reference to gender violence -clause (12)(1)protecting the rights to freedom and security of the person, which includes the right (c) to be free from all forms of violence from either public or private sources '.In addition, the commitment is translated through the establishment of various gender organisations and structures, such as the Commission on Gender Equality and through new legislation that aims to ensure those constitutional rights are not infringed.