Question 13
Mr D A Worth (DA-FS) to ask the Deputy President:
(1) Whether, in light of the celebration of August as Women’s Month, and in view of the high incidence of rape and violence against women and children, the government has taken any steps to reduce the occurrence of such incidents; if not, why not; if so, what are the relevant details;
(2) what measures are being taken to further ensure gender equality?
Reply:
Since 1994 one of government’s top priorities has been the eradication of violence against women and children.Government has unequivocally committed itself to reducing violence against women and children, time and time again.
Our legislative framework to protect women and children is comprehensive.These include measures to tighten the bail laws and minimum sentences for amongst others, crimes against women and children in the Domestic Violence Act and the Criminal Law (sexual offences and related matters) Amendment Act, which brought about a comprehensive and extensive review and amendment of the law relating to sexual offences. The Prevention and Combating of Trafficking in Persons Bill currently before the National Assembly, in particular focuses on women and children since victims of trafficking often end up being victims of sexual exploitation and child labour.
Various government departments have put measures in place to facilitate the implementation of the Domestic Violence Act. For instance, resources have been made available for the development of policies and programmes, outreach and education, training, the hiring of personnel, the establishment of Family Court Centres and the 16 Days of Activism of No Violence against Women and Children campaigns.
The theme for this Women’s Month and indeed for the entire year is “Working together for equal opportunities and progress for all women”. This theme clearly highlights the need for close collaboration among all stakeholders to accelerate responses to the challenges faced by women, especially rural women, and girls and women with disabilities.
Gender-based violence is a complex societal problem that demands an integrated and multi-faceted response. We need to investigate and address both the causal and influencing factors; we need to encourage reporting; and we need to accelerate the transformation of our criminal justice system to ensure effective and successful management of cases of gender-based violence.
While a sound legislative framework exists in this country to support and protect women and children from gender-based violence, it is giving material effect to the legislative provisions that poses the greatest challenge. Much more needs to be done if we are to be successful in creating an environment where women and children can feel safe and move around freely without anxiety or fear. The focus in future needs to be more on the implementation of our laws and policies, which is not always easy, especially in the prevailing economic climate.
With respect to gender equality, government enacted the Employment Equity Act, 55 of 1998, to achieve equity in the workplace. Such equity must be achieved through the elimination of discrimination against women and ensuring equitable representation by women in all occupational categories. Furthermore, government adopted a target of 50% representation of women at all levels of decision making in all spheres of government. The country is on track towards achieving this target and this is clearly reflected in both the executive and administrative levels in the country. However, the country is still facing challenges in achieving these targets in the private sector.
I thank you.
