The recent wave of discoveries of women’s bodies in South Africa has once again sparked nationwide protests against the scale of violence against women in a country that has one of the highest levels of gender-based violence in the world.\ Most of the victims were young and in their third or fourth decade of life, and almost all of them had experienced severe violence before their deaths.

Police said they are not sure whether they are looking for a serial killer or not. It is possible that these cases are not connected.

In any case, what happened in this residential area in the east of the largest city in South Africa has plunged the country into shock and grief, and drawn attention to a situation that many consider a crisis.

South African police publish detailed crime statistics every three months. The data shows that between April and June this year, 5,427 people were murdered.

The official statistics do not break down victims by gender, but this week the country’s Human Rights Commission released figures showing that during this period 569 women were killed—on average six per day—and another 1,052 women were also targeted in attempts on their lives.

Many women who had previously felt insecure were deeply shaken by the recent events.