Order! Before I call the Minister, I just want to make a remark. I want to thank the Minister very much. When I got here, I found her seated there, right from the beginning of the session. She never went out - I noticed that - but sat there. What made her sit there I do not know, but it shows that she has a great interest in what the NCOP is doing. [Applause.]
I want to thank the Minister for that. Some don't do what she is doing. They speak quickly and move on. You have shown a very great interest, Minister. Right from the beginning you have been with us, and I want to thank you for that.
I now call on the hon Mayende-Sibiya to deliver her address. [Applause.]
The MINISTER OF WOMEN, CHILDREN AND PEOPLE WITH DISABILITIES: Hon Chairperson, hon members of the House, ladies and gentlemen, I am honoured and appreciate very much the decision of this House to allocate time to discuss a challenge that is undermining the moral fibre of our society: the violation of the rights of women and children to enjoy freedom and live in a safe environment.
Chairperson, before I get to the issue of the 16 Days of Activism campaign, it is important that I briefly address the unfortunate reports that appeared in some of the weekend press about the Ministry of Women, Children and People with Disabilities.
The negative comments made about the performance of the Ministry are unwarranted and undermine the process of monitoring and evaluation that has been created by the current administration to enhance government's performance.
The strategic framework of the department has been developed and is supported by budget proposals and an organisational structure that, we believe, will support the implementation of the programme of action of the department. All of these three documents have been presented to the portfolio committee responsible for oversight of our work as the Ministry.
Like all other new or reconfigured departments, we have submitted our organogram to the Department of Public Service and Administration for consideration and endorsement. We have already advertised for the position of director-general, and the selection process will commence immediately after the closing date, which is 7 December.
We will certainly not allow the sideshow that is being created through the media to divert us from the critical task of leading, jointly, the efforts to address the major challenges of violence affecting the women and children of our country.
The resources for the implementation of the 16 Days of Activism campaign were allocated to the Department of Co-operative Governance and Traditional Affairs, where the 16 Days secretariat was located before the formation of the Ministry of Women, Children and People with Disabilities. Because of this arrangement, we are working together with the Department of Co- operative Governance and Traditional Affairs in the implementation of this year's campaign.
The 16 Days of Activism for No Violence against Women and Children campaign is a UN-endorsed campaign. It takes place annually from 25 November, which is the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women, and runs until 10 December, which is International Human Rights Day.
The period of the campaign, hon members, coincides with the commemoration of World Aids Day on 1 December and the International Day of Persons with Disabilities on 3 December. This allows us to focus on the links between sexual violence and the spread of HIV infection, as well as incidents of abuse experienced by persons with disabilities.
The 16 Days of Activism campaign focuses on generating increased awareness of the negative impact of violence on women, children and society as a whole. In the SADC region, the campaign has gained significant momentum through the adoption of the Addendum on the Prevention and Eradication of Violence Against Women and Children by heads of state, and the plan of action and strategies for promoting gender parity in the region.
The year 2009 officially marks the 10-year anniversary of the 16 Days of Activism campaign. Over the 10 years we have witnessed the exponential growth of this campaign, making it the second most known government event in South Africa, after the state of the nation address, according to the Government Communication and Information System tracker survey of last year.
There is growth in public awareness of the campaign and its messages. This awareness has extended to vulnerable and marginalised communities, such as the farmworker community, through the Farm Workers Awareness Programme.
There is commitment by government, in partnership with NGOs, to fight the scourge of violence throughout the 365 days of the year. This commitment has resulted in the development of the 365 Day National Action Plan to End Gender Violence.
Although the campaign has succeeded in raising awareness amongst the South African public, the abuse of children and women continues to occur. This disjuncture between a high level of awareness and persistent abuse is a cause for concern. It is also an indication that more needs to be done to cultivate a culture of relevant authorities in the criminal justice system, communities, civil society and other stakeholders taking action against abuse..
The continuing incidents of violence necessitate a review of the arrangement and programmes around fighting gender-based violence and child abuse that have been implemented over the past 10 years. This will be the primary focus of the summit that will be held at the Birchwood Conference Centre in Boksburg on 25 November to mark the launch of this year's campaign.
While highlighting successes, the summit provides an opportunity for government and its partners to reflect on the 10 years of the campaign and agree on the interventions needed to ensure an effective response to the growing scourge of gender violence and violation of children's rights.
The Ministry of Women, Children and People with Disabilities will lead a co- ordinated effort to sustain the campaign into its next decade.
On 24 November there will be a media event and the lighting of the Torch of Peace at the Union Buildings in Pretoria. The Torch of Peace forms a link between the 16 Days of Activism campaign and other major national campaigns that support the programmes of government.
This year's closing ceremony will be held in the Free State on 10 December. Other important highlights will include the popularisation of initiatives currently being undertaken by the Ministry of Women, Children and People with Disabilities. These include: popularisation of the South African Cedaw Report, commemoration of the 30th anniversary of Cedaw and the popularisation of the UN convention on disability.
We will also reinforce interventions against early and enforced marriages through community engagements that highlight the need to protect young women and children against early and enforced marriages under the pretext of a traditional practice called "ukuthwala".
I am happy with the programme by the NCOP, which is trying to address and add its voice to this particular challenge. We appreciate that.
To maintain the strong corporate identity and communication impact of this campaign, we have retained the look and feel of the campaign under the theme, "Don't look away, act against abuse". The retention of this theme has been consulted on with partners.
Participating partners are requested to feature the campaign logo extensively in their communication tools. Partners are also encouraged to support the white ribbon campaign and to source their white ribbons from women's empowerment groups for fundraising purposes. When we came into the House earlier this afternoon, we were given ribbons by one hon member. Thank you very much.
Chairperson, I hope that as this House goes into recess for this year, hon members will take these messages to their respective provinces and ensure that there are activities in their constituencies that seek to address the challenges of gender-based violence and child abuse. I thank you. [Applause.]
Thank you, hon Minister. I am the only one who did not get a ribbon. I want to see the member who is distributing the ribbons. [Interjections.] You are discriminating against us! [Laughter.] Thank you very much.
Chairperson of the National Council of Provinces, Deputy Chairperson, hon Chief Whip in absentia, hon Minister Mayende-Sibiya, hon Ministers and Deputy Ministers in absentia hon members, I'm very happy to participate in this debate on 16 Days of Activism for No Violence Against Women and Children. The subject of this debate is very close to my heart as a mother and human rights activist.
We must remember that this debate takes place at a time when the Free State province, which houses the Supreme Court of Appeal, mourns the death of Teboho Sikisi, the ANC provincial spokesperson in the Free State, who met his death on Saturday night in a car crash outside Bloemfontein while travelling with his comrades.
Indeed, the life of this young leader, who was a pillar of strength to the Free State government and Premier Magashule, will not go unnoticed. It is for this reason that I want to join the people of our country in paying tribute to the late Teboho Sikisi by remembering the poem of the renowned poet John Donne entitled Death be Not Proud. The ruling party is correct in saying that the tragic death of Teboho Sikisi has robbed the national liberation movement of one of its dedicated and committed cadres. This august House must mourn with the provincial legislature and provincial government of the Free State. Their loss is our loss in the NCOP. May his soul rest in peace.
The 16 Days of Activism for No Violence against Women and Children campaign is an important campaign that asserts that Parliament should play a fundamental role in generating an increased awareness of the negative impact that violence has on women and children, and on society.
This year's theme is "Commit, Act, Demand: We can end violence against women". This theme will play a critical role in guiding the proceedings of this year's debate to take centre stage in combating violence against women and children. It will further set the tone for a reflection on the gains that have been made in protecting the rights of children and women.
Women and children are not only subjected to the struggle against violence but they are also severely affected by the struggle against poverty. This new form of oppression is more dangerous because of its socioeconomic nature. It is a silent killer and women are the hardest hit by it. Today we have the great challenge of the global food crisis and women and children bear the brunt of it.
Remember, hon members, it is we, the public representatives and female leaders, who carry the hopes of vulnerable women and children, especially those in the rural areas. We have to give them hope in the form of something concrete and it is in this debate that we must come up with that hope. If we don't, this silent killer, violence against women and children, will continue claiming the lives of our people.
For many decades, the ruling party has recognised and acknowledged the fact that the emancipation of women and gender equality are among the defining features of the national democratic revolution. Since the advent of democracy, the ANC-dominated Parliament has been at the forefront of the struggle for gender equality. As Parliament is the supreme institution in the land, we are bound to be examples to the nation and continent by taking the lead to protect the rights of the vulnerable who, in this context, are the women and children.
The month of November is indeed important in the calendar of events that characterise the programmes of organs of state. I'm saying this because South Africa took part in the campaign of No Violence Against Women and Children in 1999 and made significant strides in creating awareness around the link between gender-based violence and HIV and Aids.
The NCOP is in a strategic position to locate the campaign of 16 Days of No Violence Against Women and Children nationally because the Constitution gives the NCOP the representative role of ensuring that provincial interests are taken into account in the national sphere of government.
The NCOP has played a critical role in educating the nation to uphold the rights of children and women. This can be attested to by the programme that was convened by this august House towards the end of the Third Parliament. The review of the NCOP pertaining to children aimed to consolidate the parliamentary achievements for South African children.
The leadership of this House must be commended for convening such a programme, which had as its principal objectives the crafting of a road map for the furtherance of children's issues and strengthening oversight work of the NCOP on issues related to children. Working together with Unicef, we must continue to organise children's programmes in this Fourth Parliament.
We recognise the role that has been played by the Women's Parliament in the past by calling our government to be at the centre of implementing the 365 Day National Action Plan to End Gender Violence. This will assist in prioritising gender policy goals at the level of implementation and monitoring, as well as developing management tools for integrating work on gender into its project cycles.
The struggle for no violence against women and children is winnable. It is for these reasons that I can proudly say that our country will remain incomplete until women participate fully and on an equal footing at all levels of society. In Luanda, Angola, in 1981, former ANC president Oliver Tambo was right when he said our struggle will be less than powerful and our national and social emancipation can never be complete if we continue to treat the women of our country as dependent minors and objects of one form of exploitation or another.
No longer should it be that a woman's place is in the kitchen. In our beleaguered country a woman's place is at the battlefront of our struggle. The late Oliver Tambo stated that the liberation of the land of our birth and all its people will materialise as a popular victory on the basis of the involvement of the masses, including women in their millions, as a conscious and active part of the antiracist and anticolonial democratic movement of South Africa.
One of the fundamental tasks that the NCOP confronts is the liberation of the women of our country from their oppression on the grounds of sex, class and colour. Malibongwe! [Praise!] [Time expired.] [Applause.]
Chair, Deputy Chair, hon Minister, today we are here to debate the 16 Days of Activism and as hon members of this House of Parliament we should stand responsibly and firmly against violence against women. The Minister has stolen a lot of thunder from my speech and so has the hon Magadla - we obviously did research on the same websites! We all know that the campaign takes place from 25 November until 10 December. Something very interesting that I came across is that in South Africa women started with the Women's Charter adopted at the founding conference of the Federation of SA Women in Johannesburg on 17 April 1954. In the preamble it says:
We, the women of South Africa, wives and mothers, working women and housewives, African, Indians, European and Coloured, hereby declare our aim ...
So, it included all of us. It goes on to refer to a single society. Women do not form a society separate from men. There is only one society and it is made up of both men and women. Most importantly, the charter then refers to the test of civilisation, and I now quote:
The level of civilisation which any society has reached can be measured by the degree of freedom that its members enjoy. The status of women is a test of civilisation. Measured by that standard, South Africa must be considered low on the scale of civilised nations.
That was in 1954. How mature is South African society today - and the nation - after 55 years since the charter was written? Are we on a level where we respect one another in a civilised society in a civilised nation if there is violent crime all over the place? My friend, hon Jac Bekker, came with me in the car this morning and we discussed this issue. He said to me there are three forms of respect, namely self-respect, respect for your neighbour and respect for your God. If there is respect, very little can go wrong.
There were lots of other charters that followed after the Women's Charter, like the Charter for Effective Equality in 1994, and then in 2003, the Women's Charter on Information Society and Development. So, we have all these charters, conventions, platforms and Acts protecting us against gender violence. But the worst form of gender violence happens at the core of our family lives, right in the heart, where love should prevail and hold the family and everything else together. It almost seems as if one steps into a different world when we enter our homes and close our doors behind us. Suddenly there is no charter, law or Act to protect us against violence, poverty and substance abuse.
I want to say thank you to all of you who are wearing the white ribbons today in support of the 16 Days campaign. In doing so we show support; we create awareness.
It's so sad that there is nobody from the press anywhere to be seen in order to encourage others to take part in the campaign and to show our concern and commitment to a violence-free South Africa. As hon Magadla said, the theme for 2009 is "Commit, Act, Demand: We can end violence against women", so as political leaders we all have a responsibility to end gender-based violence together. We can make a difference. Every action, no matter how big or small, can make a difference. To be accountable we can do four things. We can ask this House now to call for the implementation of the Beijing Platform for Action. We also call on the United Nations to take bolder action on the UN secretary-general's UNiTE to End Violence against Women campaign's Framework for Action. We are all accountable for playing a part in reducing violence.
And just like we did with Madiba Day, where we had 67 minutes of doing community work on 18 July, maybe we should now for 16 days do 16 minutes of action work a day in this campaign. We will then come and report back to the NCOP what we as leaders have done for the women and children in our communities. I thank you. [Applause.]
Chairperson, hon Minister and hon members, as the ANC we have been in the lead of campaigns against all kinds of abuse and oppression. Therefore, today is one of those days when we as leaders and as representatives of our people should come together and take stock of what impact our campaign of no violence against women and children really has had.
It is so painful to witness our neighbours, children, mothers, sisters, nieces, cousins, etc being violently abused or killed by their partners, brothers, fathers, nephews or cousins. For instance, a small boy has just been killed by his father in Mitchells Plain.
It is once more time for us as men and women to stand up and speak out, as the theme is "Don't look away, act against abuse". We must emphasise that breaking the silence is not a disgrace, and women and children must speak out against abuse. More and more women and children are breaking the silence by openly and publicly talking about their experiences of violation.
Violence against women must be fought at many levels. The unequal power relationship between men and women, in society and at home, lies at the heart of this violence. Therefore, it is necessary to challenge social attitudes so that the rights and needs of women with regard to equality, freedom and security of person, and with regard to other freedoms contained in the Bill of Rights, can be asserted and defended.
Sihlalo, kubuhlungu nawutsi ulalela emacala etinkantolo uve kutsi indvodza itsetse ematfumbu ayo yawabuyisela esiswini. Kubuhlungu futsi kutsi ubone indvodza ihlanta emahlanta iphindze iwadle. Lesi sento lesibuhlungu kakhulu. (Translation of Siswati paragraph follows.)
[Chairperson, it is painful when you listen to cases in court and hear that a man has raped his own children. It is also painful to hear that the man has committed the same offence after being released from prison.]
We also need, as members of this House and of our communities, to visit the courts and police stations and check on the impact of the laws and charters that we are talking about here, as well as the conventions that we have passed and the implementation thereof. What are the obstacles which we have to amend? If identified, when and how are we going to make such amendments?
The 16 Days of Activism is a high-profile, annual event for the determined effort of many South Africans. The challenge we face is to build a society in which this campaign can become unnecessary sooner rather than later. We can do that by making sure that the laws that we have passed as government are correctly implemented and that where we need to amend them, we do so as a matter of urgency.
The 16 Days of Activism is an awareness campaign that actually doesn't mean that we only have to observe this monster called violence against women and children during the 16 days only. The South African government, led by the ANC, declared a campaign of 365 days of no violence against women and children. Hence I feel strongly that this is the time for taking stock of the impact made on the implementation of our laws. We now focus primarily on generating an increased awareness of the negative impact of violence on women and children at a grass-roots level and on society as a whole. During this time, as my colleagues have said, we must all wear the white ribbon to support the victims of violence and abuse and to symbolise our solidarity with these women and children. As this is not the first awareness campaign of its kind, employers and employees in the private sector and government are gearing themselves to start distributing those white ribbons with ceramic beads from women empowerment groups. I urge you to support them also by buying them in bulk for your organisations.
We commend the work of the many NGOs and community-based organisations that struggle on a daily basis to respond to the needs of those who experience such violence and that campaign tirelessly to prevent abuse against women and children.
We call on both government and the private sector to find ways to give resources to these organisations and improve their capacity to undertake this important work.
Chairperson, as recently as 2004, President Jacob Zuma, in his capacity as Deputy President of the country at the time, said that we must not just address the symptoms and manifestations of abuse but also the underlying value system of male dominance that sustains the abuse.
Those religious, traditional and social values that regard men as superior to women and women as perpetual minors must be exposed as immoral, with no space in our constitutional dispensation. And in our vision of a moral society, I must admit, to my distress, those words are unfortunately still valid today. In conclusion, the Book of Ephesians, in chapter 6, speaks of family love and tells fathers to love their kids and not to make them angry or abuse them. Chapter 5 of the same Book tells husbands to love their wives as Christ loved all of us. And if we lived according to the Word of God, much abuse would be eliminated.
I am also, Chairperson and hon members, calling on all of you to join the ANC Women's League, as we do have events and a programme of action. I hope this is also so in other organisations and other parties, as the hon van Lingen said that we must do this together.
We must share the events and visit each other and share ideas of how all of us can together do away with violence against women and children. Chairperson, I thank you very much. Malibongwe! [Praise!] [Applause.]
[Inaudible.]
Hon Gunda, this is a very sensitive topic, and I take it that you are a parent. So, can we then join hands and deal with this topic sincerely. I am not going to entertain you. This is just a point of correction. May I please call upon the hon Zulu.
Deputy Chairperson, on a point of order: There is nothing wrong with my encouraging a member of this House if she speaks the truth. If she speaks the truth, I have the right to encourage her and to agree with her in my way. I am not taking this thing as a joke.
I was very serious when I said to her, "That's right", implying that she had said the right thing. So, Chair, can you please withdraw what you have said to me, namely that I take this issue lightly, because I am very serious about it! [Interjections.]
May I just say it straight: I am not going to withdraw. It's unfortunate that I understand the language you used. Please, let's not argue unnecessarily.
UMntwana M M M ZULU: Mphathi Sihlalo, Mhlonishwa Ngqongqoshe mama uSibiya, amalungu aleNdlu ahloniphekile, ngithi sesingakuthatha sithi sekungumlando nje ukuthi kube khona abanye abantu bakithi abanebala elinjengelami nekungelona elami abakwazi ukuhlukumeza izingane zabo kanye namakhosikazi abo emizini yabo.
Mina njengomuntu ozalelwe emasikweni ngamiswa phezulu kosikompilo lobuntu, ngiyaziqhelelanisa nabantu okuthiwa bakwazi ukulala nezingane zabo uqobo - uguqe ngamadolo phezu kwengane yakho ukhululeke sengathi usukhululeka kunina uqobo.
Siyaziqhelelanisa nomuntu wesilisa oshaya umuntu wesifazane ngoba siyazi ukuthi umuntu wesifazane akanawo amandla. Abantu besifazane sibazi njengomgogodla wezwe. Kodwa ngithi le mficane esikhona kuleli lizwe lethu, phela iqale ikakhulukazi kulezi zindawo zethu okuthiwa ngamadolobha. Ngoba- nje nangu umnewethu lapha uGamede angangifakazela lapho ngisuka khona angikaze ngizwe nayinye nje indoda kuthiwa ihubhe umuntu wesifazane ngenduku noma ngizwe kuthiwe indoda isivese yabamba ingane yayo yayikhomba emacansini imbala. Asikwazi lokho, yinto eqhelelene kakhulu nathi leyo.
Bese ngibuyela kuleli siko lokuthwala, yilona futhi elihlukumeza kakhulu. Akufuneki ukuthi uma abantu benza imikhuba yabo bese becasha ngosiko. Kwelakithi ukuthwala, dadewethu Ngqongqoshe wukuthi uma ngithandana nentombi ngingayishadi kuze kugane zonke izintombi ezaziqome kanye nayo; ibisingala iye kwelinye isoka kungekhona ukuthi ayisangifuni kodwa kungukuthi ifuna ukugana. Kuyaye kuthi uma senginazo izinkomo ngizohamba ngiyoyithwala ngoba kwakuyintombi yami. Hhayi uvele usukele ingane uyithathe uyoyinikeza omunye umuntu.
Usiko lokuganiselana dadewethu linje, kukhona ukubona ukuthi kwaGamede izinkomo zikhona bese ngibiza izingane zami ngithi nayi indoda uGamede. Kithi ekhaya kwafika uJenene uHolomisa ehamba neNkosi yamaHahabe uSandile, bafika ngonyaka ka-1988 bezofunela uSandile umfazi. Samnikeza udadewethu ukuze amgane hhayi ngoba emthwalile. Savele sathi nayi indoda. Wahamba wayogana, basahlezi ndawonye namanje. Uma ubuka unyaka ka -1988 kuze kube manje miningi kabi leyo minyaka. Hhayi lento yokuthwala.
Engicabanga ukuthi sisonke njengabantu abamele abantu kufuneka sizibophezele ndawonye ukuba sifundise abantu bakithi ukuthi kunjani ukuziphatha, ngoba manje silahlekelwe ukuziphatha, salahlekelwa nawunembeza. Inkinga enkulu isemalokishini ikakhulukazi lapho kwenzeka khona zonke lezi zinto. Emakhaya ayenzeki lento. Ngibonge Sihlalo. (Translation of isiZulu speech follows.)
[Prince M M M ZULU: Chairperson, hon Minister Mama Sibiya and hon members of this House, it is becoming the norm that some of our people, who are of the same skin colour as I am, as well as others who are of a different skin colour, are abusing their children and their wives in their homes.
As someone who was brought up with the culture of ubuntu, I distance myself from those people who are said to be sleeping with their own children - imagine yourself being on top of your own child doing it until you come as if you are doing it with his or her mother.
We distance ourselves from a man who beats a woman because we know that women do not have the strength to fight men. We know women as the backbone of the nation. But this trend that is now emerging in our country started particularly in our cities. My brother here, hon Gamede, can bear witness that where I come from we have never heard of even one man who has ever beaten a woman with a stick or of a man who had just grabbed his child and demanded sex. We are not familiar with that; it is something that is really foreign to us.
And going back to the culture of abducting a woman against her will, which is the most abusive one, I want to say that it is not right for people to hide behind culture when they want to indulge in their immoral acts. Where I come from, the culture of abducting a woman against her will, my sister hon Minister, means that if I am dating a lady and I do not marry her until all the other ladies who dated their boyfriends at the same time as her have been married, she leaves me and dates somebody else not because she does not love me anymore but because she wants marriage.
My sister, the culture of arranged marriages can be explained like this: When a father is aware that Mr Gamede owns a herd of cattle, he would then call his children and tell them about Mr Gamede who is a potential husband. Gen Holomisa came to my father's homestead in 1988; he was in the company of Inkosi of the Rharhabe clan, Sandile; they came to find a wife for Sandile. We then offered that he could marry my sister, but not because he had abducted her. We just told her that we had a husband for her. She married him and they are still together, even today. If you count back to 1988, that is a very long time. And it had nothing to do with this abduction issue.
I think that all of us as the representatives of the people need to commit ourselves to teaching our people about morals because we have lost our morality as well as our conscience. The biggest problem is particularly in the townships, because that is where all these things occur. Such things do not happen in the rural areas. Thank you, Chairperson.]
Deputy Chair, hon Minister and hon members, I take exception to what the Deputy Chairperson has said. I am a very serious man when it comes to violence against women and children. I am not somebody to take serious things lightly, and if the Deputy Chairperson misunderstood me, she must say so.
Let me just say that, year after year, leading up to the 16 Days of Activism for No Violence Against Women and Children, we stand here and speak about all the atrocities that happen to them, but nothing ever changes. We hear the same speeches, the same statistics and put on the same concerned expressions, but nothing ever changes.
Hoe belangrik is hierdie 16 dae van geen geweld teenoor vroue en kinders vir ons as leiers? Wat bedoel ons met hierdie tema? Ons moenie net vaskyk teen fisieke geweld nie. Daar is ook emosionele mishandeling van vroue en kinders, byvoorbeeld armoede. Die gaping tussen rykes en armes is so groot dat dit neerkom op mishandeling. Die kwaliteit van gesondheid van die minderbevoorregtes, spesifiek vroue en kinders, is in so 'n bedenklike toestand dat die waarde van ons mense nie regtig gesien word nie. Werksgeleenthede vir gestremdes bly maar 'n uitdaging. Ek weet nie hoe lank dit 'n uitdaging gaan bly nie. (Translation of Afrikaans paragraph follows.)
[How important are these 16 Days of No Violence Against Women and Children for us as leaders? What do we mean by this topic? We should not fix our attention on physical violence alone. There is also emotional violence against women and children, for instance poverty. The gap between the rich and the poor is so vast that it amounts to violence. The quality of health of the underprivileged, specifically of women and children, is so alarming that the dignity of our people is not recognized. Job opportunities for people with disabilities remain a challenge. I do not know how long this will remain a challenge.]
Almost every week we see stories in the media of women and children being raped and killed, and it is clear that, as leaders and as society, we have failed to protect the most vulnerable in our society. So we can surely understand the frustration that led to an alleged rapist in the Eastern Cape, who had been released on bail, being stoned to death by a group of 38 women. These 38 women took the law into their own hands, because they felt that the law had failed the alleged rape survivor. The Freedom Charter says that all shall be equal before the law. [Applause.]
Dit is hartverskeurend om in die media te lees hoe kinders mishandel en vermoor word. Die reg van vroue en kinders moet nie beskou word as 'n guns wat ons aan hulle doen nie, maar dit moet gesien word as 'n reg wat die Here aan hulle gegee het. Die waarde van 'n vrou en 'n kind is nie minder as 'n man s'n nie. Inteendeel, 'n vrou het meer aansien in die o van die Here as 'n man. Die Here het meer tyd vir 'n vrou as vir 'n man, en 'n kind is 'n geskenk vir mense, omdat dit vir 'n mens wys hoe kosbaar ons is in die o van die Here. Ek wil dus vandag vir hierdie Huis s dat ons in hierdie 16 dae ernstig moet raak en doen wat ons moet doen, en ons vroue en kinders goed behandel en respekteer. Baie dankie. [Applous.] (Translation of Afrikaans paragraph follows.)
[It is heart-rending to read in the media how children are being abused and killed. The rights of women and children should not be seen as favours we are granting them, but as rights given to them by the Lord. The value of a woman or a child is not less than that of a man. On the contrary, a woman has greater status in the eyes of the Lord than a man. The Lord has more time for a woman than for a man, and a child is a gift to people, because this shows us how precious we are in the eyes of the Lord. Therefore I want to tell the House today that we must become serious in these 16 days and that we must do what we must do and treat our women and children well and with respect. Thank you. [Applause.]]
Chairperson, hon Minister and hon members, Cope is fully supportive of the global campaign which focuses on ending gender violence. It has been running here in South Africa since 1998.
Chair, as from next week, the NCOP, the government and the corporate sector will act as a uniting force to make this year's slogan a powerful tool with which to tackle gender violence. The slogan is "Commit, Act, Demand: We can end violence against women".
Gender violence is common in our country. Its presence blights the good name and reputation of our country. Quite often, gender violence is linked to sexual abuse. Each year nearly a quarter of all children under the age of 18 years are sexually abused. We've been in this crisis for far too long and it is an indictment of all of us that this sorry state of affairs continues yearly.
Surely our government can start to act decisively to bring all those who commit violence against women and children to book. The President should open his hotline for the two weeks exclusively to women and children to report gender-related and violent acts.
The Stop Gender Violence Helpline offers such services, but by opening the presidential hotline for just two weeks, people will get the message that government is very serious about tackling this terrible conflict in society. Annually, over 1 000 children are murdered in our country and over 2 000 children come close to being murdered. Over the past few days we heard of a young boy who was murdered in Cape Town; three weeks ago and an 84-year-old woman was raped in Port Elizabeth in an old-age home.
What kind of people live in our society who can unleash such violence against women and children? Government has allowed this situation to go too far. We should be debating this issue every quarter so that we can get reports on what is being done to change this situation.
Another way of empowering women is through education. The life skills curriculum used in schools can be extended to women through volunteers and organisations. While empowering women is one thing, educating men is of equal importance. In most cases, men are the perpetrators of gender violence. Government must, therefore, target at least 50 communities where gender violence is prevalent for the coming year.
Today, as we look ahead to the year's campaign, we should be focused on the audit of the campaign to determine its success. If we only make feel-good speeches nothing will happen. We should have statistics after the campaign to get a broad view of what was done and achieved.
Chair, I want to make a strong appeal to government to undertake an audit of the 16 Days of Activism and to let us have the report for evaluation. Together we can make it work.
Lastly, we ask the Minister to ask other departments such as the Department of Safety and Security, the Department of Health and the Department of Correctional Services to join hands in this campaign. We also want to mention to the Minister that child trafficking is one of the fundamental abuses of children and combating it should also be seen as a priority in this phase. Thank you very much. [Applause.]
Chairperson, I rise on a point of order: I want to know and understand why the chairperson of this committee, Mrs Mabe, is not on the speaker's list. She is the chairperson of the committee and I'm asking this question seriously. Why she is not included on the speaker's list to participate in this debate, as she is the leader of this committee?
Deputy Chairperson, this cannot be a point of order because the speaker's list has been drawn up and there are no problems with it. Therefore, this question is really out of order. Let us proceed.
With due respect, hon Bloem, this is not a point of order. Speaker's lists are discussed and members are informed that they will be addressing certain issues; she is not being marginalised. I hope you understand.
I'm very happy that she is not being marginalised.
To be honest, we are working together on a certain project with her.
Deputy Chairperson, hon Minister and hon members, I don't think that hon Bloem has to tell the ANC what to do. Hon Mabe can speak for herself. You cannot be her spokesperson.
Chair, thanks for my being afforded an opportunity to participate in this important debate on the 16 days of activism campaign against woman and child abuse. This campaign runs from 25 November 2009 to 10 December 2009, as other speakers before me have said. This is a period when the country and the nation should intensify awareness around the abuse of women and children and also strengthen the struggle against violence.
This campaign is used as an organising strategy by individuals and groups around the world to call for the elimination of all forms of violence against women, in the following ways: raising awareness about gender-based violence as a human rights issue at the local, national, regional and international levels; strengthening the local work around the issue of violence against women; establishing a clear link between local and international work to end violence against women; providing a forum in which organisers can develop and share new and effective strategies; demonstrating the solidarity of women around the world who are organising against violence against women; and creating tools to pressurise government to implement promises made to eliminate violence against women.
The great challenge is that women remain a marginalised and vulnerable group in society, especially in the economic sector. Women lack skills and education due to gender-based discrimination that has existed for years. They suffer the most with regard to retrenchment due to a lack of skills and education. They are still being subjected to the patriarchal tendencies that exist in our social life as well as in our families or homes.
Government should have programmes for women's development and empowerment as well as emancipation, to liberate them from various kinds of oppression like in Russia, which was the first country to develop or empower women in many spheres. Opportunities should be created for women to diversify their roles within the economy.
Women should have access to education and be adequately skilled to attain better jobs. In this regard, a political commitment is needed to support the empowerment of women. Women should be given top managerial posts or jobs which were previously meant for men only due to societal stereotypes. When looking at the extensive road construction in our country, women are on the roads now because they have been given jobs which were initially regarded as being for men only.
The most important stakeholders of the campaign are men - including me standing in front here. In the Vhembe District in Limpopo, men have formed a men's forum called "Munna ndi nnyi" meaning "monna ke mang?" [Who is the man?]. This forum was created to assist in the eradication of violence against women and children.
I'm inviting leaders throughout the country, in all walks of life, to speak out in opposition to violence against women and children at all levels. These people have a powerful impact when they lend their influence to helping shape new social attitudes and behaviour.
To conclude, there has been notable progress in making violence against vulnerable members of society, specifically women and children, visible. From the above it is evident that Parliament has undertaken various initiatives, such as a number of international agreements, which aim to protect women from, amongst other things, violence. Similarly, government has implemented a number of projects and initiatives to combat violence against women and improve services for victims of violence. Nevertheless, on a daily basis, unspeakable acts of violence continue to occur and most women are not much more secure than they were before the intensified work on containing violence against women began.
Moswana o bolet?e a dulet?e mollo kua kgorong gomme a re rena botate re swanet?e go tlogela taba ye ya gore mosadi ke t?hwene o lewa mabogo. Rena banna ga re a swanela gore ge re tsena ka malapeng a rena ra fetoga ditau. O tla humana e le gore monna ge a sa t?wele, ke lethabo ka gae, eup?a ge ba ekwa lent?u la gagwe a kokota monyakong, lethabo le a sepela. Babangwe ba tsena ka dikamoreng. Le ge bana ba be ba sa ja, ga ba sa natefelwa ke dijo ka ge go tsene tau ka gae. Re fetogile ditau ka malapeng a rena. A re tlogeleng se hle, botate. Ke a le mema gore re bont?he boetapele gomme re lwant?he taba ye ya go ?omi?a basadi le bana ka bo?aedi.
Mohlomphegi Tona ya t?a Basadi, Baswa, Bana le Batho bao ba sego ba itekanela, o na le thekgo ya rena tabeng ye. (Translation of Sepedi paragraphs follows.)
[Someone once said that men should stop oppressing women - that men should stop being beasts in their own homes. It happens in some families that family members only experience happiness when the man is absent, but immediately they hear him knocking on the door, all the happiness fades into thin air. Some of the family members even go to their bedrooms. If the children were busy eating, they will immediately lose their appetite because the beast has entered the house. We turned out to be beasts in our homes. Men, please let us stop this. I invite you to model leadership and fight against the abuse of women and children.
Hon Minister of Women, Children and People with Disabilities, we support you in this matter.]
We are behind you; you have our undivided support on this matter. When I leave this podium, I won't look back but will fight the abuse of women and children. Thank you. [Applause.]
The MINISTER OF WOMEN, CHILDREN AND PEOPLE WITH DISABILITIES: Chairperson, I wish to thank all the members who participated in the debate. I also want to thank the House for engaging in this important discussion. I have noted all the inputs in support of the campaign.
I wish to say that I dream of a society where women and our daughters will walk the streets of South Africa without fearing violence or being attacked. We have the responsibility to walk towards that society. Together we are being called - all of us, without exception - to take action. I thank you. [Applause.]
Debate concluded.