Last month, government classified GBV and femicide as a national disaster.
President Cyril Ramaphosa says it is “a shame” that South Africa has the dubious distinction of having one of the world’s highest levels of violence against women and girls.
Ramaphosa made the remarks as the country and the world observe 16 Days of Activism against Gender-Based Violence (GBV) from 25 November to 10 December.
National Disaster
Writing in his weekly newsletter, Ramaphosa said violence against women is a national disaster that demands national action.
“At the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, I characterised violence against women as a second pandemic. But its impacts are arguably even more corrosive.
“Gender-based violence destroys families, has an economic cost, causes instability and fear for women and girls, and reproduces inter-generational trauma,” Ramaphosa said.
Last month, the government classified GBV and femicide as a national disaster, recognising that dealing with this scourge demanded exceptional measures.
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Prevention
Ramaphosa said this classification strengthens the mandates of the respective government departments, such as Social Development, Justice, Health, Police and Basic Education, to tackle GBVF.
“The classification will allow for expanded access to shelters, safe spaces, psycho-social counselling and community-based prevention programmes. It will enable faster emergency resource allocation for survivor services, enhanced monitoring and reporting mechanisms, and strengthen oversight.”
Ramaphosa said prevention is an integral part of the national anti-GBVF effort, and far greater efforts must be made to include men.
“As I said at last week’s Men’s Indaba in the Free State, unless we directly engage men in prevention efforts, we will continue to have marches, hold protests and conduct social media campaigns, but the statistics will not change. Even as men are the main perpetrators of GBVF, they are also part of the solution. This is not a fight to be waged by women alone.”
Responsibility
Ramaphosa said a “national disaster demands national responsibility.”
“We must be part of dismantling the attitudes that sustain violence against women and children by our own actions. We must report such crimes instead of looking away or regarding it as not our business.”
Ramaphosa said the safety and security of women and children is “everybody’s business.”
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