21 November 2007
Government again joins all sectors of society to mark 16 Days of Activism
for No Violence Against Women and Child Abuse from 25 November to 10 December
2007. Everyone should wear the white ribbon during this time to show they do
not accept women and child abuse.
The campaign to fight violence against women and children is growing each
year. More and more South Africans are heeding the national call to fight
against women and child abuse and the level of awareness for the campaign is
growing.
Efforts have been made by government and its partners to translate the 16
Days of Activism Campaign into a sustainable 365 days of action. The Million
Men's March, one of the key elements of this year's campaign, is inspirational
and will ensure the mobilisation of men and the boy child for inclusion into
the 16 days campaign.
The March hopes to strike a chord with and touch millions of men and boys.
Government hopes men and boys will in future step forward so that there can be
millions on the march signalling to society and the perpetrators of violent
abuse that they are against this behaviour.
Although the level of awareness of the 16 days campaign has grown
tremendously in both urban and rural areas, the abuse of women and children in
the country remains unacceptably high.
Research conducted has shown that the level of awareness of the 16 days
campaign has grown from 16 percent in 2003 to 33 percent in 2006. However, the
abuse of women and children in the country still remains unacceptably high.
Government hopes that through the Million Men's March, men will be encouraged
to interact and discuss this scourge amongst themselves and find mechanisms to
actively discourage this behaviour.
Government notes that there is a clear link between violence against women
and HIV infection. Socio-economic factors, unequal gender and sexual relations,
unprotected sex, and alcohol and drug abuse are among factors that have
increased the impact of HIV and AIDS.
Therefore, behaviour change programmes form part of government's prevention
efforts to stop the spread of HIV and AIDS. These programmes are especially
important during the festive season when increased violence and risky behaviour
make women more vulnerable.
Government has created an extensive policy and legislative framework that
deals with crime and signals to offenders that it will not tolerate violent
abuse. The Domestic Violence Act of 1998 and the Sexual Offences Bill reaffirm
the rights of women and children to live in a violence free society.
Government has moved a step further in the process of promulgating the
Sexual Offences Bill, which when passed by the National Council of Provinces
(NCOP), will provide greater protection to vulnerable persons who are victims
of sexual offences.
The Justice, Crime Prevention and Security (JCPS) Cluster is working towards
strengthening all police stations by equipping them with specialised units i.e.
Family Violence, Child Protection and Sexual Offences Units. This change will
ensure that all police stations get specialised units which will assist in
preventing delays in the processing of cases reported.
The launch of the Victim's Charter and its implementation plan will
represent the flame that will signal hope for many victims of crime. The
Victims Charter ensures that a comprehensive and integrated response is
provided to victims of crime. The Charter is in line with government's vision
that seeks to cultivate a human rights culture by ensuring that victims needs,
either material or emotional, are met.
The seven rights contained in the charter include the right to be treated
with fairness and with respect for dignity and privacy; right to offer
information; right to receive information; right to protection; right to
assistance; right to compensation; and right to restitution.
If you have been a victim of crime; victims rights, as contained in the
Constitution and relevant legislation will be upheld when you come into contact
with police, prosecutors, magistrates, clerks of the court, parole officers,
doctors, nurses and social workers.
The Victims Charter includes the minimum standards on services for victims
of crime. The minimum standards serve as a guideline for service providers
(police; prosecutors; social workers; magistrates; health; correctional
services and education personnel) who interact with victims of crime. It
determines the minimum standards that victims can expect from government
departments.
Let us renew the pledge to fight against women and child abuse.
Issued by: Department of Social Development
21 November 2007
