“Waging a concerted fight against gender-based violence and abuse”
Chairperson of the NCOP,
Members of Parliament,
Ladies and Gentlemen,
Of significance to today’s debate topic is the fact that South Africa has been part of the United Nations Commission on Status of Women and is expected to lead the theme discussion on the elimination and prevention of all forms of violence against women and girls, with a particular focus on primary prevention (stopping violence before its starts) and services and responses to victims and survivors of gender-based violence, at the 57th Commission on the Status of Women in 2013.
In the midst of all the challenges we are still facing with regard to rape, domestic violence and molestation of children and the elderly, South Africa has indeed laid the fertile legislative ground to address abuse perpetrated against the most vulnerable groups of our society.
So, this means we do not have to invent the wheel, but to innovate interventions that will effectively fight gender-based violence. And, one of the innovating actions already taken by South Africa is the release of the Victims of Crime Survey 2011, released recently by Statistics South Africa.
In this report, not only does the Stats SA emphasise the fact that, crimes perpetuated against women and children, cannot be tackled by police alone; the Report also vividly shows that, the overall planning of crime prevention must be done holistically and collaboratively.
As I had indicated in this instance last month on the crime statistics statement, the Stats SA Survey reports that most perpetrators of sexual offences against these vulnerable groups are known people from the victims’ own communities.
Nearly a third (38.4%) of the victims of sexual offences were attacked/victimised by a known community member in their area, while only 10.5% were unknown perpetrators. This means, the community has a critical role to play to help police identify these child molesters and heinous rapists.
Effective collaboration means an efficient sectorial approach in the prevention efforts against all forms of violence against women and girls, in particular. The innovative measures then will have to address structural causes of this type of violent crime, and to change social norms and behaviors of individuals and communities.
We, as policy-makers and decision-makers, are obligated to stress that gender-based violence is a serious development issue directly affecting all sectors of our communities. And, thus we have to acknowledge the importance of understanding the social and cultural context in which gender-based violence takes place, so that we are able to effectively tackle it.
I am thinking here of the most recently affected sectors: the elderly people who are raped, people with different sexual orientation who are subjected to brutal corrective rapes and hate crimes; sex workers whose rights are violated when they get arrested for breaking the by-laws; and of-course, children, wives and mothers who are violently abused by the closest people to them, in their own homes.
If we care to look ineptly at these types of sectoral crimes as mentioned-above, we will immediately see that, these have to do with certain held views, whether culturally, religiously, or consciously, on matters of sexuality, patriarchy, and spirituality. Indeed then, such crimes will have to be inter-sectoral and inter-departmental.
Many times, we get complaints from the public that, when one of their relatives who has been a victim of gender-based violence, opens a case against the perpetrator, the case get downplayed as just a domestic incident, and not as an offence. Hence, we have seen how hard it is for an abused woman to give evidence against her abusive husband, and how easily the woman gives in to her husband’s violent pressure on her to withdraw evidence against him.
The ANC-led Government and the Ministry of Police, have issued a stringent national instruction that the criminal justice system and the wider public services, must treat gender-based violence and domestic violence as a serious crime.
We expect nothing less than a transformation in attitude to gender-based violence, hate crimes and fundamentalism/vigilantism. Behind each closed doors of homes everywhere, women and children have the right to feel safe.
We all need to challenge the unacceptable notion that women should keep quiet about what happens at home, because horrific abuse is a daily reality at these homes. Indeed, the social framework of our society is at risk if we let violence happen in our homes.
All South Africans and communities must partner with government and actively fight all forms of violence against women and children.
Men are critical partners in the fight against the abuse of women and children.
Chairperson,
It excite me to inform the house that in the Department of Police, we have launched a Progressive SAPS men’s organisation which is called SAPS Men for Change and they are the champions in making sure that we fight abuse of women and children effectively in all nine provinces. I would like to challenge all men in different government departments, NGO’s, Public and Private sector to do the same.
Families must stick together to create a safe environment for women and children. Parents and adults we plead with you not to expose your children to sexual and violent material such as pornography and many more such as unacceptable behaviors.
As we are about to participate in the National Launch of 16 Days of Activism of no violence against women and children on Sunday, 25 November 2012 in Northern Cape, we do wish to register that, September 2012 was a very successful month for the justice criminal system in successfully apprehending and convicting violent criminals who rape the elderly, molest the young, and abuse the women.
For instance, the Family Violence, child protection and sexual offences Unit has been responsible for two successful convictions and sentencing of two serial rapists, with a total of 170 years sentencing between the two of them. And, as the Minister of Police, Nathi Mthethwa has reiterated that police will intensify the war against perpetrators of crime against children including adults who influence and abuse children to commit crime for their own criminal benefits.
Furthermore, South African Police Service has issued a national instruction to all police stations and commanders, specifically forbidding the detention of children with adults and should this happen; a departmental investigation would have to be instituted against the members responsible.
In conclusion, Chairperson, I would like to re-iterate that, we could help decrease sexual abuse and violence by speaking out and educating ourselves. The vicious cycle cannot continue, Let us all join and effectively support the police in their core mandate of making sure that everyone in South Africa feel and is safe.
I thank you all.
Enquiries:
Nthabiseng Thulo
Cell: 082 776 7269
Tel: 012 393 4388
