President Jacob Zuma is to address the national event marking the end of 16 Days of Activism Campaign on No Violence against Women and Children in Qwaqwa in the Free State on Thursday, 10 December.
President Zuma will be accompanied by Minister of Women, Children and Persons with Disabilities Noluthando Mayende-Sibiya, Free State Premier Ace Magashule and other senior government representatives.
Before the official event at Charles Mopeli Stadium, there will be unveiling of tombstones of two children who were killed by their stepfather and Government will officially hand over two houses to their family.
The 16 Days of Activism Campaign takes place annually from the 25th of November (International Day of No Violence against Women) to the 10th of December (International Human Rights Day).
The period of the campaign coincides with commemoration of the World AIDS Day on 1 December and the International Day of Persons with Disabilities on 3 December. This allows for an increased focus on the link between sexual violence and the spread of HIV infection as well as incidents of abuse experienced by persons with disabilities.
Held under the theme 'Don’t look away, Act against Abuse', the campaign focuses on increasing awareness of the detrimental effect of violence on women, children and society as a whole.
Since the Campaign marks its 10th anniversary this year, the activities of Government and stakeholders have focused on reviewing the campaign, finding measures to enhance impact and extending interventions over the 365 days of the year.
Review processes have highlighted significant progress in increasing public awareness but equally acknowledged that much effort is still needed to reduce the unacceptably high incidents of violence.
The media is invited to attend the events as follows:
Session 1: Unveiling of Tombstones
Time: 07h00 – 08h30
Venue: Masalleng Village, Qwaqwa
Session 2: 16 Days of Activism Campaign
Official programme
Time: 10h00 – 12h00
Venue: Nelson Mandel Arena, Qwaqwa Campus, University of Free State
Issued by: Ministry of Women, Children and Persons with Disabilities
8 December 2009
