Activists call for more focus on gender-based violence and femicide

Activists and civil society groups are urging the government to halt the implementation of the National Council on Gender Based Violence and Femicide (GBVF) Acts and focus on amending it to align with the 2018 declaration and the National Strategic Plan on Gender-Based Violence and Femicide.

The GBVF Acts refer to three separate Acts, the Criminal and Related Matters Amendment Act, the Criminal Law (Sexual Offences and Related Matters) Amendment Act and the Domestic Violence Amendment Act.

Activists argue that while the Acts were a step in the right direction for the country’s response to GBVF, the Acts in their current form were inadequate and failed to address the core challenges they seek to resolve.

Gender-based violence cannot be tackled as framework stands

Executive director of the Initiative for Strategic Litigation in Africa (Isla) Sibongile Ndashe said the current framework lacked accountability and had become a hollow structure with no real functionality.

“The current Acts lack provisions for ensuring accountability across sectors and ensuring the necessary, sustained funding. We’ve engaged with others, but there’s a lack of understanding about why the system isn’t working.

“We believe this amendment is critical. It’s not just about structure; it’s about ensuring that the people involved can effectively act and react,” she told Saturday Citizen.

The organisations raised concerns about inconsistencies between the Acts, the National Strategic Plan on GBVF and the commitments made at the 2018 summit declaration.

“There are concerns that the establishment of the council, coupled with the removal of essential oversight mechanisms, could render it ineffective and undermine the progress made by the GBVF movement,” Ndashe said.

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Neglect of structures and impartiality among other concerns

Other issues raised include the neglect of provincial and local structures, concerns about impartiality and representation and the absence of a robust system to ensure effective oversight and collaboration.

As the country marks the annual 16 Days of Activism for No Violence Against Women and Children, the organisations proposed a series of engagements to bring together experts and stakeholders on the effective implementation of the National Strategic Plan for GBVF, including the funding model and outline the issues of accountability, oversight of the council and proposed funding.

Kayan Leung, a public interest lawyer at Lawyers for Human Rights, said: “The national strategic plan proposed that the council would have a political priority at the highest level of the president, with the president playing a central role as a champion of the national council to elevate its authority and ensure that there is effective oversight and implementation.”

“Without these, progress will always be limited.”

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