The International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women – is not just a date on the global calendar. It is a reminder of a wound that runs deep in every society.
In South Africa, this day carries even greater weight, because we are a nation still battling the brutal reality of gender-based violence, sexual offences, child abuse, and femicide at levels that remain among the highest in the world.
It also marks the beginning of our 16 Days of Activism for No Violence Against Women and Children – a campaign that calls every citizen, every community and every public representative to stand united against these atrocities.
We cannot shy away from the truth: Women in our country continue to live in fear in their homes, workplaces and even on the streets.
Children – the most vulnerable among us – are too often victims of violence, abuse, neglect and exploitation.
Many cases go unreported. Many perpetrators walk free. And for too many families, justice comes too late – or never arrives at all. This is not the society our Constitution envisions, nor the one our democracy promised.
Violence against women and children is not only a policing issue. It is a societal issue, a leadership issue and a moral issue.
Behind every statistic is a daughter whose dreams were stolen, a mother whose dignity was violated, a sister whose life was taken or a child whose innocence was shattered.
We cannot normalise this. We cannot scroll past it. And we cannot allow it to fade once these 16 days end.
We must lead from the front – not with slogans, but with accountability, action and courage. Today, I call on government at every level to treat gender-based violence as the national emergency it is:
1. Strengthen policing capacity – Increase specialised GBV units at police stations. Ensure immediate response to domestic violence complaints. Improve forensic turnaround times so survivors are not failed by delays.
2. Speed up justice – Fast-track GBV and child-abuse cases in our courts. Provide dedicated prosecutors trained in trauma-sensitive procedures. Ensure perpetrators face real consequences, not backlogs and loopholes.
3. Protect survivors, not perpetrators – Increase shelters, social worker support, and safe houses – especially in rural and peri-urban areas. Provide legal and psychological support without bureaucratic barriers.
4. Fix broken municipal environments – women and children are most unsafe where streetlights don’t work, parks and roads are poorly maintained, policing visibility is low, and public spaces are abandoned. Local government must take responsibility for creating safe environments because good infrastructure prevents crime before it happens.
5. Community mobilisation must rise again – we cannot police every street, but together we can protect every home. Faith-based organisations, schools, traditional leaders, NGOs and community forums must form a united front.
6. Address the growing crisis of school bullying – violence does not begin in adulthood – it starts in our schools. Too many children face bullying, harassment, cyberbullying, physical assault and intimidation in environments meant to nurture and protect them. A bullied child becomes an anxious learner, a traumatised teenager and often an adult who carries invisible wounds. Schools must become zones of safety, not fear.
I call for anti-bullying units in every district, trained counsellors in schools, early-warning reporting systems, zero tolerance for violence, harassment, or discrimination and programmes that teach empathy, respect and conflict resolution.
The fight against violence is not only for women and children to carry. It is for all of us – fathers, leaders, neighbours, teachers, officials and citizens.
CLR ROY BHOOLA
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