Deputy Minister Dikeledi Magadzi: National Strategic Plan on Gender Based Violence and Femicide (GBVF) in the workplace

Speech by Deputy Minister: Ms Dikeledi Magadzi DM’s Dialogue with Departmental officials on National Strategic Plan on Gender Based Violence and Femicide (GBVF) in the workplace

Program Director, Mr Maphoto
The Director General, of The Department of Water and sanitation: DR SEAN PHILLIPS
Deputy Director General, Ms Lindiwe Lusenga and other DDGS Chief Director, Ms Pertunia Remunenyiwa and other Chief Directors Provincial Manager, Ms Khutso Monyepao
Gauteng Legal Officer: Ms Madulani
Directors, and other members of management present All Staff members in attendance.
Good Morning

Program Director, this event comes at an opportune time when our country is celebrating women’s month under the theme Women’s Socio-Economic Rights and Empowerment: Building Back Better for Women’s Improvement Resilience.

The Department of Water and sanitation has arranged this wonderful event to share useful information that will empower all of us, in dealing with unacceptable levels of violence against women and children in our society. Gender-based Violence and Femicide National Strategic Plan (GBVF-NSP) was produced by the Interim Steering Committee that was established in April 2019 to respond to the highest level of gender-based violence and femicide in our country.

Program Director, National Strategic Plan aims to provide a multi- sectoral, coherent strategic policy and programming framework to strengthen a coordinated national response to the crisis of gender-based violence and femicide by the government of South Africa and the country. The strategy seeks to address the needs and challenges faced by all, especially women across age, sexual orientation, sexual and gender identities; and specific groups such as elderly women, women who live with disability, migrant women and trans women, affected and impacted by the gender-based violence scourge in South Africa

The following are the six pillars of NSP:

1. Accountability, Coordination and Leadership,
2. Prevention and Rebuilding the Social Cohesion,
3. Justice, Safety and Protection,
4. Response, Care, Support and Healing.
5. Economic Power; and
6. Research and Information Management

Program Director, the NSP seeks to align with several global, regional, and national policy frameworks.

• The Convention on the Elimination of all Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW),
• Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, the International Convention on the Elimination on Forms of Racial Discrimination.
• International Labour Organisation (ILO).
• The 2030 Agenda for sustainable development: SDG Goal number 5, Achieve gender equality and empowerment of all women and girls.
• 1995 Beijing Platform of Action.
• The International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, Agenda 2063, the Southern African Development Community (SADC).
• The SADC Regional GBV Strategy and Framework for Action 2019– 2030.

The Constitution of South Africa sets the framework for an effective legislative response to GBV:

Chapter 1 positions human dignity, the achievement of equality and the advancement of human rights and freedoms as well as non-racialism and non-sexism are founding principles.

Chapter 2 affirms equality, human dignity, life, freedom, and security of the person. These rights underscore a national commitment to building a society that is free from all forms of violence and that respects, protects and fulfils the human rights principles of bodily integrity and autonomy.

Several policies and legislation are in place to respond to GBV:

Program Director, the Government of South Africa refuses to be counted amongst those States that do not seriously address issues of gender- based violence and femicide. South Africa has several legislations that serve to forbid occurrence and recurrence of perpetual violence targeting women and children of our country, therefore government has engaged into wild stakeholder consultation that generated a country’s

National Strategic Plan (NSP) on gender-based violence and femicide (GBVF). The following are some National Legislative and Policy Framework to respond to GBV in our country

1. The National Crime Prevention Strategy (NCPS) 1996 establishes crimes of violence against women and children as a national priority.
2. The Criminal Law Amendment Act 105 of 1997 establishes mandatory minimum sentences for certain rapes.
3. The Criminal Procedure Second Amendment Act 85 of 1997 allows for bail conditions to be tightened in cases of those charged with rape.
4. The Domestic Violence Act 116 of 1998 sets out to offer options to victims of abuse through identifying certain obligations on law enforcement bodies and making provision for interim protection orders.
5. The Criminal Law (Sexual Offences and Related Matters) Amendment Act 32 of 2007 codified and broadened the definition of rape and other sexual offences and introduced new offences that relate to GBV, including using or exposing children to child pornography and pornography (both off- and online). It provides for the National Policy Framework on the Management of Sexual Offences Matters, 2012.
6. The Criminal Law (Sexual Offences and Related Matters) Amendment Act 6 of 2012 was passed to provide for effective prosecution and conviction of offenders.

Program Director, gender-based violence in working Environment includes the following:

• Bullying, physical, and verbal abuse from work colleagues, supervisors, or managers.
• Sexual harassment and unwanted sexual advances.
• Sexual abuse and violence, including ‘coercive’ or transactional sex, rape, and sexual assault.
• Abuse and harassment around pregnancy.
• Psychological abuse and intimidation.
• Threats and acts of physical and sexual violence.
• Abusive working conditions such as poor health and safety (including building and equipment safety).
• Inadequate or inappropriate sanitary facilities and rules about their use.
• Involuntary excessive long working hours and unpredictable or late demands to work overtime.

Steps that our department should take to prevent GBVF includes:

1. Prevent Violence and Harassment by Identifying Potential Risks.
2. Commit to Gender Equality and Diversity Across the Workplace.
3. Protect Employees with Supportive Policies and Procedures.
4. Collaborate and Campaign Beyond the Immediate Workplace.
5. Monitor and review our interventions on GBVF programs.

Program Director, the outcome of this event should be beyond raising of awareness and will be miscarried if we all leave here back into our communities without taking a decision of stopping violence in areas of our existence, unfortunately violence is relatively common type of behaviour that occurs throughout the globe. All of us in attendance of this occasion should serve as an agent of change in our society. Though violence takes place physically, but the damage inflicted by it is psychologically harming the livelihood.

As government, we will continue to support this NSP by ensuring that it is integrated into government planning processes, that the necessary resources are made available, and that it yields concrete and tangible results. It has been said that the true measure of any society can be found in how it treats its most vulnerable members. The South Africa we Want is a country where all its citizens can lead their lives of dignity and freedom, and where the vulnerable and marginalised are protected by our Constitution and Bill of Rights. We have set ourselves a course from which we will not falter

I urged you as my department to continue implementing in your day-to- day duties of no- violence working in the environment which will be absent of sexual harassment, racial discrimination, xenophobia, discrimination of LGBTQI+ and other intolerance.

I therefore plead for your support as members of the communities where you live, to permanently support through active role in the National Strategic Plan (NSP). Your actions in campaigning for the prevention of violence in our society will go a long way in eradicating gender-based violence and femicide (GBVF).

Go out to be against violence, lawlessness, and other malpractices in our societies, never underestimate your small or big contribution that you will be making in realising a violence free society.

Allow me to close my speech with the words of our state president his excellency Honourable Cyril Ramaphosa when he closes off the 2018 summit “We will spare no effort until this country’s women and children are safe, work and play in freedom, and their rights upheld.”

Thank You.