Deputy President Paul Mashatile says a full
year of action is required to combat gender-based violence and femicide, not
just 16 days.
Mashatile was delivering the keynote address at
the launch of the national 16 Days of Activism for No Violence Against Women
and Children campaign in Rustenburg on Monday.
‘’This period, from 25 November to 10 December,
is a time for reflection, action, and solidarity. During this, we collectively
raise our voices to draw attention to the persistent violence against women and
children. However, a full year of action is required to combat gender-based
violence and femicide, not just during these 16 days.’’
PICTURE: X - @PresidencyZA
The theme for 2024: “30 Years of Advancing
Collective Action to End Violence Against Women and Children”, emphasizes
addressing the root causes of Gender-Base Violence and Femicide, promoting
positive masculinity, promoting gender equity, and creating economic opportunities
for women and children.
The Human Science and Research Council (HSRC)
released the results of the first-ever national Gender-Based Violence survey
conducted in 2022, revealing that over 33% of South African women have
experienced physical violence in their lifetime, while 9.8% have faced sexual
violence. Approximately 7.3 million women have experienced physical abuse,
while 2.1 million have experienced sexual violations.
Mashatile raised concerns about the number of
child and teenage pregnancies which continues to increase. The Deputy president
described it as a crisis that cannot be ignored.
‘’ In
South Africa, every year, thousands of our children fall pregnant. According to
Statistics South Africa, last year's births to teenage girls aged 10 to 19
years represented 12% of all births. In numbers, it was 102 648. These are not
just numbers. They are young girls who should be in school, playing with their
friends, dreaming about their futures, and building their hopes.’’
‘’We must understand that child pregnancies do
not happen in a vacuum. They are the result of deep-rooted socio-economic, cultural,
and educational issues. Many child pregnancies are the result of rape and
sexual abuse.’’
‘’This indicates a decline in moral standards
within our society, and we must deal with such individuals by reporting them to
the police, denying them bail, and placing them in jail. If we are to win this
battle against GBV, we must act collectively and not shield those who commit
these heinous crimes,’’ added Mashatile.
The Deputy President said government will be
working with all sectors to develop an action plan that can be implemented.
‘’We will collaborate towards a plan that
prioritizes the needs of the most vulnerable and guarantees the inclusion of
everyone in our joint endeavour to eradicate violence,’’
The foundation of this approach lies in a clear
focus on three key areas:
1.
Strengthening institutional arrangements, which we are advancing by
establishing a multi-sectoral National Council on Gender-Based Violence and
Femicide (NCGBVF) to coordinate and drive efforts across all sectors.
2.
Scaling up prevention efforts, including leveraging preferential
procurement to help alleviate poverty, which is a key driver of violence, while
creating sustainable economic opportunities for vulnerable communities.
3. We
are enhancing the use of evidence-based approaches, ensuring that solid data,
research, and the lived experiences of victims and survivors inform all
interventions and policies.
Meanwhile, the Bush Radio – Sakhisizwe team
will, over the next three weeks, be doing a series of outside broadcasts from
various organisations that work hard to combat gender based violence and femicide
and provide support to the communities they serve.
COURTESY: Bush Radio
Done by: Mitchum George
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