Hangana speaks at the anti-rape strategy working retreat
27 September 2006
Programme Director
Deputy Ministers present here today
Mama Storey Morutua of the Joint Monitoring Committee for the Improvement of
Quality of Life and Status of Women
Officials from various departments
Delegates representing various organisations
Ladies and gentlemen
If there was any right moment to act against violence on women and children
is not now, but yesterday. I am not going to give a long speech, the message is
very plain and simple, "Stop Violence against women and children!"
When I switch on my TV set and watch the news, the news bulletin never
finishes without the horrifying reports of women who have been raped and
murdered. When I read the newspaper I do not get to the end of the page without
having come across the shocking story of a raped and murdered woman. I listen
to the radio, the same stories are being reported. It then dawned on me that if
we are not admitting now as public representatives, as non-governmental
organisations (NGOs) and sister departments that our country is fast becoming a
society in which it is increasingly difficult to live, violence against women
and children is here to stay.
If we all agree with these observations, you will equally agree that the
right moment to have acted against women abuse is not now, but yesterday. If we
mean with the 'Age of Hope' and most importantly if we would like it to mean
anything to those vulnerable women and children, we have to start by protecting
them first.
In this regard, I challenge all departments to ensure that it is time we put
a meaning to constitutional clauses like "Right to life and protection of all
basic human rights". It is time we demonstrated that the constitution lives and
works for women and children in this Age of Hope. It is time that the Law
Enforcement Agencies understood that statements like "it's a family matter and
therefore can't get involved" when rape cases are reported no longer apply.
It is time that we as communities realised that the raping and killing of
women is equally our business against which we must fight with all that we
have. We need to understand that while it might be not your child who has
fallen victim to this atrocious crime, you certainly cannot guarantee it won't
be your child tomorrow. If we can adopt this kind of mentality and approach to
this crime, I have no doubts that our actions will be intensified too. I said
this in the May Conference in Kopanong, and I am saying it again. As
enlightened women, how do we get ourselves involved in the campaign to end
violence against women and children to an extent that it is not only our job,
but also our calling? How do we ensure that even in our own spare time we get
involved in community structures and share some information with those women
who are vulnerable and less informed?
How do we ensure that our fancy Power Point presentations actually mean
something to ordinary women? With 16 Days of Activism Campaign I have made a
call that it must take a different off-ramp � no longer to become some fancy
boardroom subject. Ordinary women must know, see and feel it. The National
Action Plan, as a year-running programme must clearly outline how it intends
reaching out to ordinary women.
'No one has a right to take another person's life,' our constitution
proclaims, but the way in which women's rights are violated by these
perpetrators it would seem that not only are perpetrators disregarding this
constitutional clause, but also actually rebel against it. This we cannot
tolerate. The women who marched to the Union Buildings 50 years ago were
fighting for freedom, and I mean total freedom. Some sick men who through their
sickness are likely to sicken the whole society cannot therefore hold us at
ransom.
I am happy that our justice system has realised that it's time for heavy
punishment for rapists. It is when we fight it in this spirit that we are
likely to make a remarkable dent on ending violence against women.
As part of our local government structures, and in fact the very closest to
our communities, the traditional leaders have committed themselves to being an
integral part of our fight against this scourge. They have started doing by
recognising that they need women in their Executive Committee to fight for
women. This we highly applaud. We hope that the traditional leaders will help
demystify some cultural related matters that in some instances are deliberately
used by theses perpetrators to justify their barbaric acts. I am an African and
familiar with African cultures but yet to hear of an African culture that says,
"It is okay to tear a woman's clothes and panties and force yourself into
her."
Like I said, I am not going to be long because you need to go and work. I
trust that you will have fruitful discussions, but most importantly that you
will indeed become the agents of the Age of Hope for our women and
children.
I thank you.
Issued by: Ministry for Provincial and Local Government
27 September 2006
