Programme Director,
Deputy President Cyril Ramaphosa,
Minister Fikile Mbalula,
Minister Nathi Mthethwa,
Honourable Ministers and Deputy Ministers present here,
Ladies and gentlemen,
Sanibonani, dumelang
Sports and culture have always been the glue that holds out society together during turbulent times in our history, and what better way to deepen our social cohesion than to UNITE in this fashion especially when this is done in the name of one man who believed in the power of sports and culture to heal a nation’s deep wounds – President Mandela.
Madiba showed us how sports and culture can be used as a unifying force to rally the society in its diversity towards a common ideal and to challenge the injustices of the day.
Today we find ourselves confronted by the brutal injustice of violence against women and children. Domestic violence continues to be a deadly crime, a social menace, and a costly public health and economic problem with most of the victims being women and children. To rid society of this evil requires all members of society to unite under one common banner. This is why this year the theme adopted by Cabinet for the 16 Days of Activism for No Violence against Women and Children is: “Count me in: Together moving a non-violent South Africa forward.”
The 2014 campaign (an annual awareness-raising campaign that starts on the 25th of November until the 10th of December) which we will be launching in Ekurhuleni on Tuesday, November 25 takes place within the broader context of the country’s twenty years of democracy as well as the 60 years of the Women’s Charter, it also marks the 16th Anniversary of the Campaign. This year’s Campaign reflects on 16 years of raising awareness on gender based violence and 20 years of democracy and the empowerment of women.
The Campaign aims to provide a platform to engage all stakeholders across race, gender, age and other divides to commit to collectively fight this scourge in society and to relook at the available strategies on the eradication of violence against women and children.
Patriarchy and gender-based violence continue to be an albatross on the South society and the world at large. Given that of the perpetrators of violence against women and children most are men there is a particular need to also ensure that men and boys are counted in and become part of the solution.
My appeal to you today is that let us UNITE and say Count Me In so that together we can move a non-violent South Africa forward.
The question we each need to ask ourselves as posed by the UN Goodwill Ambassador and British born Hollywood actor Emma Watson is “If not me, who? If not now, when?” This is the clarion call to all sectors of our society to stand up and be counted as part of the solution.
Imagine living in a society where we no longer read or hear about the abuse that women and children often suffer at the hands of heartless perpetrators. A society where they are safe at home, at school and at work; where children play safely outside and women walk freely in the streets. This is the society that the 16 Days of Activism for No Violence against Women and Children hopes to achieve.
You can Count Me In to do whatever it takes to eliminate violence against women and children! What about you? Let each one of you stand to be counted in and pledge that:
- I will not hit my wife and children
- I will protect my sister
- I care for the safety of women and children
- I am cool, I do not bully
- I financially provide for my family
- I do not punch others
- I will not violate the rights of the LGBTIs
Let us UNITE for a non-violent, non-racist, non-sexist, prosperous and equal society.
Thank you.
