More must be done to fight GBV, protesters demand

More has to be done to eradicate the scourge of gender-based violence (GBV) in the country, protesters at the Union Buildings on Wednesday demanded, Pretoria Rekord reports.

“The fight against GBV must be extended beyond the Women’s Month of August,” said non-profit social justice organisation Voice It in Action spokesperson Kgothatso Moloto.

She said the protest was to raise awareness and to hand over a memorandum with a list of demands to the office of the Presidency.

“We handed over a memorandum of the list of our demands to the Presidency’s office because from August there have been alarming levels of GBV and they continue.”

On top, their demands were a higher priority of GBV by the judiciary system and to have cases of GBV investigated and for perpetrators face the might of the law.

“GBV cases must be closed. There are cases of GBV that have been open for years and never resolved while the perpetrators roam free in our society. Should the system tighten its belt in the investigations and prosecution of such cases, then the victims will regain trust in the system. With more people trusting the system, more victims would report these issues.”

Second, on their list of demands was for the government to treat the GBV like they did the Covid-19 pandemic.

“The President did declare violence against women and children as a pandemic itself, and yet they have done as much as they did in the fight against Covid-19.

“The same urgent and drastic measures are taken to protect people against Covid-19 must be amplified to curb and ultimately stop the GBV pandemic. The government must treat it as a national disaster. GBV it has already taken thousands of our citizens and millions of lives are at still at risk.”