Cape Town – The National Council of Provinces deputy chairperson, Sylvia Lucas, has called for the 16 Days of Activism Campaign to be scrapped, emphasising that the scourge should not be politicised.
The NCOP on Thursday hosted a debate on 16 Days of Activism against gender-based violence.
“Just last week, the family of one of our members in the NCOP – the cousin’s son – killed his two-month-old baby by stabbing the baby to death. That is the kind of thing we are hearing.
“Addressing these horrific issues is becoming more and more of a challenge.
“GBV, the debate on gender equality and women’s empowerment is not a political issue. It is just like poverty. People living in poverty don’t need us to politicise their plight.
“They need us to have compassion for what they are going through – equally, it is the issue with those suffering under GBV and the patriarchal system,” Lucas said.
She added that patriarchy is a very distinct system, therefore the transformation of South Africa’s economy must be in line with the creation of decent work and sustainable livelihoods.
Minister of Women, Youth and Persons with Disabilities, Maite Nkoana-Mashabane, said turning the tide against gender-based violence and femicide required a society-wide approach, with everyone at the forefront of the fight.
“We continue conveying our message that every individual must take responsibility for their actions. We cannot stand and watch. We all need to form part of the collective to end gender-based violence and femicide.”
Nkoana-Mashabane said the three bills: Gender-Based Violence Bills, which include the Criminal and Related Matters Amendment Bill; the Domestic Violence Amendment Bill and the Criminal Law (Sexual Offences and Related Matters) Amendment Bill – which are currently before President Cyril Ramaphosa for assent has been designed to bring justice to the victims of GBVF.
As we move into the festive season with increased volumes of commuters using public transport, we want to ensure that there is an environment in which women and children feel safe while using public transportation.
Part of the government’s awareness campaign was to institute rapid response teams and local municipalities.
“The GBV pandemic is evident in the crime statistics which the minister of police had just released.
“… 9 500 cases were reported between July and September 2021. This is about 10% of cases emanating when liquor and drugs were central to the problems or contributing factors. However, we must never let go, we need to continue fighting.
“It cannot be that in a country with such high teenage pregnancy rates, this social ill has to be viewed as a multi-faceted problem that exacerbates overlapping challenges such as HIV/Aids, inequality, poverty and unemployment,” she said.
Nkoana-Mashabane said in partnership with other departments, a teenage pregnancy programme of action will form a crucial aspect to address the high numbers of teen moms.
EFF member Mmabatho Mokause said GBVF is not being given attention in the country, instead “it is being given names and themes” on a yearly basis by a government that has all the resources to fight the scourge.
“Women face a number of challenges in South Africa, with violence being the most prominent one. Violence is a prominent feature in the life of South African women, despite women’s rights laws that have been passed to curb it.
At random, within the communities, women are subjecte to being victims of violence, she said.
“Not enough is being done to address the high levels of GBV in the country. GBV is a profound and widespread problem. The scope and prevalence of GBV suggest that there is a lack of political will to deal with this,” Mokause added.