March calls for policies to combat gender-based violence
ORGANISERS of the annual Take Back The Night march in Gugulethu, which saw more than 350 people, including UN Women director and former deputy president Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka taking part, have hailed the event a success.
The march on Friday was attended by various civil society organisations, police and people from different communities, including Langa, Elsies River and Stellenbosch.
The march was themed “Reclaiming Our Streets” to help combat the scourge of violence perpetrated against women and children in the greater Cape Flats communities.
Organised by Ilitha Labantu this year, UN Women collaborated with the organisation to make the event a success.
The march is held the 16 Days of Activism during for No Violence Against Women and Children campaign.
Mlambo-Ngcuka said: “We must ensure that when our kids get to my age, violence against women and children is a thing of the past.
“There must be proper policies in place which must be implemented by those in power for the common good of all, especially young girls and women.”
Ilitha Labantu founder Mandisa Monakali said the activism required to address violence against women and children should not be limited to the 16 Day of Activism campaign or Women’s Month.
“Violence against women and children is a daily occurrence in our country, as a society we need to re-evaluate our strategy and have a 365-day emphasis in which we prioritise these issues.”
She said Take Back The Night emphasised the greater need for unity and solidarity from all sectors of society to combat the scourge, as it is not only the responsibility of government to address the issue.
“It calls upon us all to actively participate in helping to make society a better place for all, as gender-based violence knows no boundaries of class, geography, gender or race, it is an issue that affects us all.
“The event is also a call to take action to make our communities safe from violence and crime, as the night in township communities has been synonymous for being plagued by crime and violence, particularly sexual violence and the abuse of women and children.”