Each person can play a part
WITH the rate of violence against women and children rising, many have begged the question of whether the 16 Days of Activism campaign is enough to fight the scourge.
A recent report by Statistics South Africa and the South African Medical Research Council shows that one in every five women are assaulted by their partners – five times the global average.
Community organisations have joined forces with government annually to highlight the need for change, but the director of Phoenix Child and Family Welfare says not enough is being done.
“Every female is or knows a victim. We’ve seen the signs. They are everywhere,” said the director of Phoenix Child and Family Welfare, Aroona Chetty.
“About 40% of men assault their wives every day in South Africa and at least three women are killed daily due to domestic violence. Added to this, one in three young South Africans experience sexual abuse before even reaching puberty. We have helped over 200 abused women and children during the year, just in the Phoenix district.
“Multiply that number by the 130-odd other districts in the greater Durban area and then by the 11 municipalities in KwaZulu-Natal and you’ve got a staggering estimate of about 286 000 victims in just one of the country’s nine provinces. But hang on. We are forgetting something. That’s only counting the number who have been brave enough to speak about it.”
Chetty said excessive drug and alcohol use lie at the heart of the problem.
“Drugs and alcohol is seeping into society and ruining the lives of so many families.
“It needs to stop, there is so much violence and women are dying all the time.
“While 16 Days of Activism is beneficial to some degree, awareness campaigns must be done every day. How do we hope to build a brighter tomorrow if we cannot treat each other with respect today? The best way to cure society is to work at preventing abuse.”
Chetty said the justice system needed to impose harsher sentences: “Offenders need to spend time in prison to understand that laying your hand on another individual is simply not okay.”
During her address in Parliament during the debate on 16 Days of Activism last week, MP Zakhele Mbhele, the DA’s shadow minister of police, said the most important stakeholder for a non-violent South Africa was arguably the criminal justice system.
“Without a firm commitment toward effectiveness and efficiency in the police and public prosecution services, the efforts of all other safety partners have limited effect at best and, at worst, are rendered impotent. Optimal functioning of law enforcement agencies is fundamentally dependent on the quality, competence and calibre of their top leadership and management,” Mbhele said.
MP Bridget Masango, the DA ‘s shadow minister of Social Development, said government had failed its children.
“Over 11 million children live in poverty, with 136 of them dying every month of complications arising from acute malnutrition in the last three years.
“A total of eight million infants and adolescents still do not have access to the Child Support Grant; one in three children are victims of sexual and physical abuse before they reach the age of 18; and in KwaZulu-Natal and the Eastern Cape, only 19% of child abuse cases were reported to police by social services.”
She said women and children bore the brunt of the scourge of poverty and inequality and this made them more susceptible to abuse.
With this year’s campaign themed “Count me in: Together moving a non-violent South Africa forward”, Suraya Alli launched the Chatsworth Ladies Forum last week and plans to use the platform to educate and advise women on the different types of abuse.
“Abuse is not only physical, but emotional and most women are unaware of this,” she said.
“We aim to work with and empower victims of abuse, provide them with shelter until they can stand on their own feet and enrich them through health programmes, lifestyle changes and self-defence classes.”
Alli, the vice secretary of the Crossmoor Community Policing Forum, which is supporting the project, said women should not feel inadequate and this mindset needed to change.
Asked about her views on whether the 16 Days campaign was working, she said: “I believe more needs to be done to advertise the campaign. We hardly see anything on social media or conventional media.
“With that said, one cannot simply rely on others to do the work. Every person needs to take responsibility to drive the initiative forward. Our committee plans to forge a united front with SAPS, Metro, government and all sectors of society to fight the problem.”
A bold new movement, #NoExcuse, was also launched and is focused on driving positive change among South African men.
The initiative, sponsored by Takuwane Riime, will run for the duration of 16 Days of Activism campaign.
The holistic approach is aimed at driving awareness, creating conversation and providing tools for people to take positive action as a means of driving change.
#NoExcuse refers to there being no excuse for men to stand by and do nothing when others are abused.
Survivors of sexual and gender based violence engaged with religious fraternities and key stakeholders at Glen Ridge Church yesterday.
The event was co-hosted by the Phephisa Survivors Movement, We Will Speak Out SA Coalition and various other partners.
Phoenix Child and Family Welfare in partnership with the Sahara Women’s Shelter will host a walk on December 9 starting at the Durban Amphitheatre at 8am.
Participants are encouraged to wear their red T-shirts in solidarity against the rising violence. Entry is free.
16 Days of Activism for No Violence Against Women and Children is held annually, from November 25 to December 10, to raise awareness and rid society of the increasing scourge. With this year’s theme being ‘Count Me In: Together Moving a Non-Violent South Africa Forward’, JANINE MOODLEY speaks to experts about the campaign, while victims of abuse share their stories