Violence against women, children ‘a shame on the nation’

President Cyril Ramaphosa yesterday described the scourge of violence against women and children as a great shame on the nation, which went against African values and everything people stood for.

“We grew up being taught that as men and boys we must respect women and protect children. But we have lost our way,” Ramaphosa said.

He was speaking at the launch of the government’s 16 Days of Activism for No Violence against Women and Children, at Lephalale local municipality in Limpopo.

The president announced the government has budgeted R1.6 billion for an emergency action plan to tackle gender-based violence.

“It focuses on improving access to justice for survivors, prevention campaigns to change attitudes and behaviour, measures to strengthen the criminal justice system and the creation of economic opportunities for women who are vulnerable to abuse,” Ramaphosa said.

He warned that perpetrators of violence against women and children did not discriminate.

“The young are attacked, as are the elderly. Boys are raped and abused, as well as girls. They impose their toxic masculinity on those who are gay, straight, transgender or bisexual,” he said.

Nonprofit organisation Sonke Gender Justice also launched its Be Accountable campaign to coincide with 16 days of activism. Its campaign will run under the theme “16 days of accountability on gender-based violence and femicide”.

It was concerned about a growing sense of no accountability for many of gender-based violent crimes.

“We are concerned that there are no foolproof systems in place to ensure that the commitments made on ending gender-based violence are monitored and evaluated,” the organisation said.

The campaign aims to highlight the importance of accountability among those who have a responsibility to promote and realise human rights.

Mandisa Khanyile, fundraising director at Rise Up Against Gender-Based Violence, said the campaign would yield better results if there were more focused interventions that were context-specific.

She said it would be facilitating a dialogue with the youth, in partnership with the KwaZulu-Natal Legislature, and find out how it could make the province safer for young women and girls.

December 6 has also been declared as the international day of femicide to focus specifically on the seriousness of gender-based violence and its ugliest manifestation, the killing of women, children and gender nonconforming people.

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