Kwanele Foundation submits memorandum to PAP to combat GBV
The memorandum urged the continental parliament to play a more active role in addressing GBV matters.
In an effort to curb gender-based violence in South Africa, members of the Kwanele Foundation, a local non-profit organisation, recently marched to the Pan-African Parliament in Midrand.
The foundation advocates for the end of GBV and femicide and marched to PAP on May 19 to submit a memorandum demanding its intervention to eradicate the scourge of GBV in SA.
Key among the list of demands in the memorandum was a call for them to convene a Pan African Gender-Based Violence Summit before the end of this year.
The memorandum was presented to PAP by the foundation’s CEO, Sihle Sibisi.
Every year, the parliament hosts a Women’s Conference to serve as a platform for the development of women’s rights policies.
During this time, participants discuss the progress that’s been made towards the implementation of gender-focused programmes, such as the sustainable development goals, and other policies and activities undertaken by the African Union.
Kwanele’s memorandum also urged the continental parliament to play a more active role in addressing GBV matters.
The fourth vice president of the parliament, Ango Ndoutoume, received the memorandum on behalf of the parliament’s president.
He told the foundation’s members that the parliament was designed specifically to represent African citizens.
Ndoutoume promised to relay the memorandum to the appropriate leadership structures for action.
The president, Fortune Charumbira has welcomed the proposal to hold a summit as he reiterated the institution’s zero tolerance on GBV and all types of violence against women.
“We are determined to be part of the solution to contribute to the elimination of violence against women. This is in line with the PAP mandate to defend and promote gender equality, and protect human rights,” said Charumbira.
The parliament has also created the Women’s Caucus to oversee the parliament’s work on women’s rights and gender equality.
In addition to its annual conference and Women’s Caucus, they also organise workshops and other meetings to focus on violence against women-related issues that concern the region.
This includes workshops such as Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) — which resulted in the parliament’s overall commitment to ending FGM and various recommendations to the African Union to ensure states move towards fulfilling this commitment.
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