Master of Ceremonies, Dr Matlotleng Matlou
Executive Mayor of the City of Tshwane, Dr Gwen Ramokgopa
Honourable High Commissioner, Mme Motlhagodi Molomo
Your Excellencies and members of the Diplomatic Corps
Esteemed guests
Comrades and friends
Ladies and gentlemen
Good morning
I am singularly honoured and privileged to be given this opportunity to address this auspicious occasion. Let me begin by thanking the organisers of this event for inviting me to talk on the subject that is so close to my heart.
As most of you will know, August is a month that belongs to women in South Africa in celebration of the historic Women's March of 1956. It therefore gives me great pleasure to join you at this gathering under the theme "The Role of African Women as Mothers and Leaders".
As this theme clearly indicates, no single society can hope to move forward if its women and children are trapped in endless cycles of poverty, abuse and oppressive cultural practices. A look at our past and recent history reveals that women in their individual capacity, and as a collective, have played and continue to play a decisive role in shaping our country.
This gathering comes at an opportune time when we are celebrating the achievements and contribution of women in our country. As most of you will know, August has been declared Women's Month in celebration of the historic Women's March of 1956.
This year, 9 August marks the 53rd anniversary of the commemoration of Women's March, the day when at the height of apartheid, more than 20 000 South African women from all walks of life, converged on the forbidden grounds of the Union Buildings to protest against the extension of pass laws to African women.
We use this month to reflect on the challenges facing all the women of this country and evaluate the progress we are making in ensuring that South Africa becomes a truly non-sexist society. We have come a long way since that historic march and African women have risen to stake their claim in our society.
I therefore find it unacceptable that as we celebrate women's contribution this month, one of own, Mokgadi Caster Semenya had to endure humiliation and violation of her dignity at the hands of those who do not believe that an African woman from humble beginnings can equally compete with her European counterparts on a world stage.
What is deeply regrettable about this whole controversy is that these unfounded claims were perpetuated by fellow women competitors who lost out in the race.
I am sure there would have been no questions about her gender if she did not win the race. Caster Semenya's humiliation is a poignant reminder of the torturous road and hurdles that many women around the world and in our country have to overcome to assert our position in society.
These and many other unheard sad stories illustrate why as women leaders in government, business and all sectors of society we have to work together to advance women empowerment. The generation of women who led the historic march of 1956 did so against the oppressive regime that treated women as inferior citizens in their own country of birth.
Today, women face another form of humiliation that is equally oppressive- crime and abuse. As you all know, the greatest enemies of our democratic South Africa in relation to the emancipation of women continue to be underdevelopment with its manifestations of poverty, HIV and AIDS, and the scourge of violent crimes against women and children. As government, we are the first to acknowledge that the scale of violence and abuse against women and children in our country is unacceptably high.
Ladies and gentlemen, our ability to respond effectively to these challenges is hampered by the critical lack of services for victims of domestic violence and crime, especially in rural areas. As a matter of urgency, we have to and will ensure that the coverage of Victim Empowerment Programmes (VEP) services reach rural communities. Equally important, we intend to address the shortage of personnel to obviate secondary victimisation as well as improve our capacity to deal effectively with and render intermediary services for child victims of sexual offences. Our presence here is indeed recognition of the fact that addressing all these challenges cannot be the responsibility of government alone, but in partnership, we shall always win.
For this reason I would like to thank women against rape and many other organisations that have heeded our call to work jointly with us to provide services to victims of crime and abuse. As a department, we look forward to working with all organisations in the sector because the provision of shelters, are an important component of the broader strategy of government's Victim Empowerment Programme.
This year (2009) marks the 11th Anniversary of the Victim Empowerment Programme, which was launched in August 1998 under pillar one of the National Crime Prevention Strategy of 1996. A key element of the programme is to build an effective strategic partnership between national, provincial and local government departments with civil society organizations, and community based organisations.
This is in recognition of the critical role played by non-governmental organisations (NGOs) and community-based organisations working with victims of crime, trauma and violence, in delivering services to victims. The emphasis of the programme is on prevention of victimisation, providing support, protection and empowerment of victims of crime and violence with a special focus on vulnerable groups such as women, children, elderly and people with disabilities.
Combating the scourge of violent crimes against women remains government's priority. To this end, government introduced programmes through the Justice, Crime Prevention and Security Cluster Departments. As the lead department for government's Victim Empowerment Programme, the Department of Social Development is working together with other departments notably, the Department of Justice and Constitutional Development, the National Prosecuting Authority, Department of Correctional Services, Department of Health and South African Police Service.
Government has also introduced a number of progressive pieces of Legislation and policies to address violence and abuse directed at women and children. This includes, but not limited to Domestic Violence Act (No 116 of 1998), Service Charter for Victims of Crime, Policy Framework and Strategy for Shelters in South Africa (2003), Minimum Standards for Service Delivery in Victim Empowerment (2004), Child Justice Act 75 of 2008, Children's Act and Children's Amendment Act and National Policy Guidelines for Victims Empowerment (2009).
All these pieces of legislation seek to provide protection and appropriate services to victims of violent crimes and abuse, the majority of which are women and children. Just as the development of these policy documents are the product of a remarkable partnership between government and civil society organisations, effective implementation requires a continuation of that partnership with organisations such as Women against Rape.
My department has a long standing partnership with the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) under the Programme of Assistance to the Victim Empowerment Programme in South Africa. The purpose is to support the Victim Empowerment Programme by developing the capacity of the Department of Social Development to lead the intersectoral and intergovernmental Victim Empowerment Programme, and to ensure proper implementation of the government's commitments with regard to the empowerment of victims of crime and violence. The partnership also relates to the establishment of a One Stop Centres for Victims of Crime and Violence wherein the victims receive services from a multi-disciplinary team to obviate secondary victimisation.
Through this partnership, four One Stop Centres have been established since 2003 in the Eastern Cape, Mpumalanga, Northern Cape and Western Cape. On 28 of this month, two more One Stop Centres, one in Sunnyside (Pretoria) and the other one in Vryburg (North West province), will be opened.
These underline the extent and scope of the national effort to combat and control the scourge of violence and crime in our country. In this regard, I would like to thank the UNODC and the EU for the continued support of our government.
The Department of Social Development is working jointly with other civil society organisations to step up our collective efforts to ensure safer and more secure communities. These include Sonke Gender Justice Network, South African Men's Forum and Gender Link, to mention just a few. In addition, the provincial departments provide funding to NGOs for victim empowerment services.
May I also indicate that my department is playing a crucial role in the implementation in the 365 Days National Action Plan aimed at ending gender-based violence. Initiatives in this regard include the use of the National Child Protection Register which will enable us to have a record of all abused children with the aim of rendering effective services and protecting them from further harm. The register will enable us to have name of any person deemed by a court of law as "unsuitable" for working with children. This will further protect the most vulnerable in our society from those predators that prey on our children.
As early as 1997, the Department of Social Development initiated Child Protection Week as a way of emphasising the role of the wider community in the protection. This initiative has since become a successful annual national campaign mobilising communities and civil society organisations throughout the country to play an active role in the protection of children.
Ladies and gentlemen
It would be dereliction of duty on my part if I fail to address the issue of human trafficking a topic of profound global concern, which is closely related to the subject of our discussion today. In exactly 290 days from today, our country will host the FIFA World Cup 2010-the world's biggest football event. Let me assure you that government has noted the concerns of civil society that that the 2010 FIFA World Cup may have the unintended consequence of creating opportunities for human trafficking.
South Africa is a signatory of the United Nations protocol on trafficking in persons. For us in South Africa, signing and ratifying the protocol was a natural extension of our commitment to human rights as enshrined in our Constitution
Accordingly, government has moved decisively and swiftly to tackle this challenge head on through the introduction of progressive legislation. Key among these is the Children's Act as well as the Prevention and Combating of Trafficking in Persons Bill which will soon be tabled in Parliament.
Government is also working with all our social partners to put in place preventive measures through an integrated and multi sectoral approach. Let me take this opportunity to commend the media for the proactive stance they have taken on this matter.
The Department of Social Development has developed a set of guidelines to ensure that minimum norms and standards are in place when dealing with child and adult victims of trafficking. This will ensure that we are able to treat victims of trafficking with the dignity espoused in our Constitution.
The Women against Rape deserves our greater support for the critical social role it plays in our society and in restoring the dignity of the victims of violence and crime. I hope that all of us will look at possible ways to partner with this organisation and many others doing similar work to optimally towards creating a violence-free society.
In conclusion, I want to emphasise that my department and government as whole, will continue to work with the all civil society organisations, and other partners in ensuring the realisation of the aspiration of creating peaceful communities and creating a better life for all.
Our government was elected on a mandate to build a strong, safer and a better South Africa. We said we would work harder to make our streets safer and protect our children and women from violence and crime, and we remain committed to that goal.
Together, let us act against the abuse of women and children.
I thank you.
Issued by: Department of Social Development
25 August 2009
