Violence against women and children has become a serious problem worldwide, said Busi Kheswa, from the Gauteng Department of Social Development.
According to Busi, information from different countries indicates that 35 per cent of all women have been physically or sexually abused – either by an intimate partner or a stranger. This shocking revelation by Thursday in Black, an NGO that advocates for a gender-based violence-free society, shows that African countries have high levels of physical and sexual violence.
Almost everyone will be particularly conscious of the issue of gender-based violence for the next few days, as the 16 Days of Activism for No Violence Against Women and Children Campaign takes place. This is an annual, United Nations-endorsed awareness-raising campaign that begins on 25 November and runs until 10 December. South Africa adopted the 16 Days Campaign in 1998 as one of the country’s intervention strategies towards creating a society free of violence.
But what continues to be worrisome is the fact that we wake up to reports of such violence virtually every day.
Busi continued, saying, “Just the other day, there were media reports of a mentally ill girl who was raped in Diepsloot. The reports also allege that the family of the victim was living in fear because the perpetrator was roaming the streets. There were other reports about three orphans that were kidnapped from a children’s home during a robbery. These kids were not just kidnapped – they were also tortured by these criminals.
“These are just two of the stories that continue to make headlines in our media. Violence against women and children in our society continues at full strength, without any legal consequences for the perpetrators, regardless of our progressive legislation.”
She says government hosts an on-going campaign to voice our disgust and anger against violence against women and children.
“We have to find ways of making our homes and communities safe for all, especially for women and children. As a nation we need go back to the fundamental basics of Ubuntu, wherein we become each other’s keepers. We need to be a society that is fond of its vulnerable groups such as children, women, people living with disabilities and the elderly. An integrated approach that includes government, law enforcers, business, civic organisations, faith-based organisations, families is needed to ensure that we live in a society free of gender-based violence.
“Let us all remember that none of us is immune to becoming a victim of such abuse. Don’t wait for any form of gender-based violence to be committed against you before you act. Let us all take it upon ourselves to ensure that we observe this campaign every day and act against any violence against women and children 24/7.”
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