RE: ANCWL LAUNCHES CAMPAIGN AGAINST GENDER BASED VIOLENCE ON HUMAN RIGHTS DAY

The African National Congress Women's League (ANCWL) is committed to tackling gender based violence that continues to plague our society. As women we will not sit by silently while our children, sisters, and mothers become victims.

We will begin a nation-wide back-to-back campaign that will start on Human Rights Day, 21 March, (tomorrow) and culminate on Freedom Day, 27 April. The decision to launch the campaign on Human Rights Day stems from the global acknowledgement that women's rights are human rights and that women have the right to safety and dignity as enshrined in our Bill of Rights. On Freedom day we will call for ‘a dry day' free from drugs and alcohol; challenging all South Africans to ask themselves tough questions about the society we live in and recommitting to the values we all fought so hard for.

Tomorrow, on Human Rights day we will hand over a memorandum to the Ministers in the Justice cluster calling on Government to take tough and decisive action to deal with the scourge of violence against women.

The most vulnerable in society, that being our children, the elderly and women with disabilities will join us in delivering this memorandum to our Government.

Please see below memorandum of demands to be handed over to Ministers of the Justice Cluster.

MEMORANDUM OF DEMANDS TO: MINISTERS OF THE JUSTICE CLUSTER

21 March 2013

RE: ANCWL DEMAND JUSTICE FOR WOMEN AND CHILDREN

The ANCWL is extremely concerned at the high levels of gender based violence that continue to plague our society. Recent incidents have sparked national outrage and as the ANCWL we believe the time for decisive action around this issue is now.

On this day when as a country we celebrate Human Rights Day confirming our commitment as a nation to the fundamental Human Rights enshrined in the Bill of Rights, including amongst others, the right to equality, human dignity, security and life. Yet it is with great sadness that we see the rights of women violated on an on-going basis. It is for this reason that we will be today be launching a campaign against gender based violence that will culminate on Freedom Day. This will be characterised by events across the country where we will be creating awareness around the rights of our women with the understanding that Women's Rights are Human Rights and should be respected as such.

It is clear that there are many issues that fuel violence in our society; however the high concentration of drug and alcohol abuse; general social decadence and institutionalised patriarchy are the major contributing factors to the violent assaults on our women and children. As the ANCWL, we strongly feel that enough is enough.

The tragic slaughter of our mothers, sisters and daughters has shocked the nation and the world. From Bredasdorp where Anene Booysen was tortured, raped and left to die; to too many girls and women brutally raped and killed across the country. Too many women die too young. It has been reported in the media that since the beginning of the year scores of children have gone missing, what these children may be subjected to is yet to be discovered. Our children are crying out for protection.

We need more decisive action from all in the justice cluster to save our children and the future of our women in the country. We need protection from drugs and alcohol that are corrupting our society and making human beings behave like depraved animals.

We believe one of the major hindrances for women in the pursuit of justice is the court process which often puts women through additional trauma with constant delays and invasive questioning techniques that seek to blame the victim for what has happened to her. We believe this is an important issue that needs to be addressed by Government. The entire justice system is yet to be fully transformed with the new dispensation and we demand that the courts become more women friendly. Measures should be put in place to make justice attainable for all women.

We have also noted that our most vulnerable in society are often targets by these violent offenders that seek to harm our women.

These include children, the elderly and women with disabilities. We need to protect and treasure the vulnerable and ensure that they do not become victims like the young Anene Booysen was. She should be forever remembered as the catalyst for this change. Our children need to be nurtured to become contributing members of society, not subjected to savagery because of rampant substance abuse.

As the ANCWL we are calling for :

• An all out eradication of drugs in society.
• Strict implementation of the liquor laws and closure of illegal taverns.
• Better protection of our women, children and all vulnerable people in society from gender based violence, human trafficking and rape.
• Justice to be easily accessible to all.
• Harsher sentences for rapists, more especially child rapists.
• Repeat rape offenders or serial rapists to get life imprisonment without the option of parole.
• Better implementation of Protection orders related to domestic or gender based violence incidents.
• Respect for the dignity of women when they go to report crimes of a sensitive nature.
• Crimes of violence against women to be given priority in court and delays avoided at all costs.
• Sensitive treatment of women who take the stand in court and testify against their accusers.
• Partnerships with all in society in general to combat all factors that fuel rape and gender based violence.

Statement issued by the ANC Women's League, March 20 2013

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