‘Little has changed,’ say organisations as govt outlines plans to end GBV

As President Cyril Ramaphosa counts the progress made to achieve gender equality, empower women and end gender-based violence (GBV), several organisations claim little has changed.

They said women continued to be subjugated, many struggled to get child maintenance from partners and a lot needed to be done for girls’ education.

South African Federation of Trade Unions’ Zwelinzima Vavi tweeted yesterday that “the median monthly income for black women was R2 500, compared to R3 250 for black men, R10 000 for white women and R13 100 for white men.

Economic Freedom Fighters’ leader Julius Malema said women still lived under a dark cloud of fear, abuse and economic and social exclusion.

“It is the women of South Africa who are likely to be raped ever three hours because they live among predators in homes and workplaces,” Malema said.

He lambasted poor female representation at the JSE, corporates and the judiciary as a form of GBV. Malema said the fact that women were denied land rights, paid less than men and discriminated against on the basis of pregnancy were forms of GBV.

Congress of the People spokesperson Dennis Bloem said: “It seems that all promises from government and the private sector to address the challenges of women are just empty promises.”

In his virtual address to commemorate Women’s Day yesterday Ramaphosa said “measurable progress” had been made to achieve the objectives of the National Strategic Plan established last year.

The plan focused on ending GBV and femicide and ensuring women’s economic and financial inclusions. The government has allocated R21 billion over the next three years to support the six pillars of the NSP.

As part of the plan, 32 regional courts specialising in sexual offences have been established.

The GBVF Private Sector Response Fund launched this year received R141 million.

“One way to achieve women empowerment is by creating procurement opportunities for women-owned businesses within the public sector supply chain. Last year, we announced that 40% of public procurement should go to women-owned or operated businesses,” Ramaphosa said.

Ramaphosa said the Women’s Economic Assembly to be launched later this month would identify supply chain opportunities for women-owned businesses in key industries.

“Work is underway to develop a financial inclusion policy to address the barriers experienced by women-owned businesses and low-income earners to access credit, to also access grants and other financial transactions.”

Around 3 500 detectives were specially trained as family violence, child protection and sexual offences officers and 12 public buildings turned into shelters.

The president said key legislation was before parliament that dealt with domestic violence, bail, the sentencing of offenders and broadening the scope of sexual offences.

– ericn@citizen.co.za