Hon Speaker, hon Ministers, hon Deputy Ministers, hon members, and guests in the gallery, it is incumbent upon us today to declare violence against women an act of unlawfulness, and it must not go unpunished. It is an act of sabotage against the ideals of the Freedom Charter, which declares that we are all equal and states that:
The preaching and practice of national, race or colour discrimination and contempt shall be a punishable crime;
The ANC holds these strong views and has clear policies and resolutions for addressing the triple oppression faced by women. The real struggle faced by women in our society and in our communities is with the pursuit of equality.
I would also like to draw the attention of the House to section 12(1)(c) of the Constitution, which reads:
Everyone has the right to freedom and security... which includes the right ... to be free from all forms of violence from either public or private sources;
Hon Speaker, in order for communities to fight violence against women and children we must, firstly, be critical of how we in our homes and communities have treated women - as subordinate to men. Patriarchy manifests itself in the form of wanting to dominate women and to control them, for example, to control whether they work, or whether they can make decisions about how they spend money or what they choose what to wear.
In a conflict-ridden society you find that the most vulnerable people, who experience torture and sexual violence, are women and children. Children are violated because they are typically treated as the belongings of women and once you hurt a woman's child, you kill the spirit of that woman.
Here on our own home turf you will find patriarchy raising its violent head when women choose to practise a particular sexual orientation. Lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender communities did not arise by accident, but by a necessity to respond to objective realities. Domestic abuse is also influenced by the need to violently suppress women's choices and to exclude women from participating in society, more specifically in the economy. We as South Africans need to start looking more into how violence is really a manifestation of power and inequalities. When women are seen to be rising up economically, politically and in of their self-esteem they are pulled down again.
We all know people who believe that women should not earn more than men, that women belong in the kitchen, and that independent-thinking women are troublesome. Here lies the problem. Patriarchy invigorates the fear of inequality. It is this economic disempowerment that has been found to imprison women in cycles of abuse by their spouses. And we condemn this violence, insubordination and patronising attitude towards women. The ANC condemns this in the strongest possible terms.
My focus is on women as citizens of South Africa and on women as members of society across the world. South Africa is a signatory to UN documents, and also supports a range of its tools and policies on gender discrimination and abuse against children.
The report on how South Africa implemented the UN Convention to Eliminate All Forms of Discrimination against Women illustrated the fact that South Africa is serious about tackling gender-based violence. The country's comprehensive legislative policy framework is progressive, and we believe that our laws are representative of a dedicated responsiveness to gender discrimination.
With the passing of the Domestic Violence Act, it now remains the state's resolve to train the SAPS to ensure the full implementation of the Act. Serious legal judgments like those of State vs Carmichael are fully using that legislation to reclaim the dignity of women. In the 2001 case, the judge stated that the state has a duty to protect women against violence.
Just as importantly, in the State vs Baloyi in 2001, the court stated that freedom from fear was identified by the Universal Declaration of Human Rights as a fundamental right.
Speaker, I would like to emphasise that South Africa's laws are written by the communities themselves. Through public submissions, hearings, consultations and lobbying of representatives, people are able to shape laws that protect them against violence. In this way the government is able to respond to the needs of the vulnerable in our society.
Other tools for addressing the patriarchal roots of the violence that we are witnessing include using early childhood development programmes to teach boys how to respect girls, especially since this can build up the consciousness of males of their role in gender inequality. Though the state has its own obligations, ...
... nemimango yetfu kufanele nayo ibambisane nahulumende ekulwisaneni naloludlame lolubhekene nabomake kanye nebantfwana. Kufanele kutsi bantfu baye bayewufakaza emacaleni lacondzene nekuhlukunyetwa kwabomake kuze leto tigilamkhuba tivalelwe tingaphindzi tibonakale emimangweni.
Sibonga kakhulu kubambisana nema-NGO lakhona lapha emmangweni lakwatiko kusita hulumende ngekugcugcutela futsi akhutsate labomake labasuke bahlukunyetiwe.
Sikhutsata kutsi bantfu basukume batentele, basebentise temidlalo kutsi bakhe ummango kuze ubuyisane. Bakhe imisebenti yekususa bantfwana emigwacweni lapho kunetidzakamiva khona; ngobe ngito letenta kutsi tingcondvo tebantfu tilahleke kwesikhashana bese babona kutsi kuncono bahlukumete bomake babente tigcili tabo temacansi. (Translation of Siswati paragraphs follows.)
[... even our communities must work together with government in the fight against violence against women and children. People should go and testify in the cases about women's abuse so that the perpetrators can be sent to jail and never be seen in the communities again. We are very grateful for the co-operation we have with NGOs which are able to help government in counselling and motivating women who have been abused.
We encourage people to be self-reliant, using sporting activities to build up and reconcile communities. They must establish activities that will keep children off the streets where there are drugs, because drugs make people lose their minds temporarily and only see fit to abuse women and make them their sex slaves.]
I once saw vegetable gardens in Gugulethu and in parts of Khayelitsha. Hunger would be a thing of the past if our people could engage in making vegetable gardens that feed families and produce goods for markets and restaurants.
Co-operatives can also be used as business enterprises and can generate profits that raise families out of poverty. President Jacob Zuma recently signed into law the Co-operatives Amendment Bill, which will improve the way co-operatives function. Communities must take advantage of this.
One can see how increasing the number of economic opportunities and forums for tackling tangible social matters can ultimately help us win the war against the violent manifestation of patriarchy in our communities. However, this war against gender inequality will be won once both men and women work together towards the emancipation of women.
Ngitsandza kusho-ke, Somlomo, kutsi sicela labobabe lesinabo kuleNdlu nakuyo yonkhe imimango kutsi babambisane natsi sibomake ekulwisaneni naloludlame. Sitawukhona kuluncoba loludlame nasekusukume bona, kube ngabo labasukumako beme la lapho ngime khona bakhulume ngaloludlame, ngobe ngulo lolubulala sive. Bantfwabetfu bayolikhandza likuphi lelive ngobe ngaphandle kwabo asisisive salutfo. Ngiyabonga. [Lihlombe.] (Translation of Siswati paragraph follows.)
[I would like to say then, Chairperson, that we would like to plead with all the men in this House and in every community that they should work together with us as women in the fight against this violence. We would be able to overcome this violence once they have stood up, and be the ones who stand here where I am standing and speak about it, because it is this violence that is killing our nation. Where will our children find this country, because without them we are not a nation? Thank you. [Applause.]]
Mr Speaker, the DA conveys its condolences to the family of the toddlers killed in Diepsloot, as well as the community of Diepsloot at large. The combating of crimes against children is not only a parental responsibility, but includes the community at large, government and us as legislators. Our responsibility is to ensure that we pass laws that will protect our children and that government actually implements these laws.
One mechanism we have passed in this House to protect our children is that of the Child Protection Register. Unfortunately, despite being passed by this House some six years ago, the government has failed dismally in its implementation, so much so that I wrote to the SA Human Rights Commission and requested an investigation into why our government is failing to protect our children.
The commission found that by failing to adequately maintain and populate the Child Protection Register, the Department of Social Development is violating the rights of South Africa's children in terms of section 28 of the Bill of Rights. I will repeat that. The commission found that the Department of Social Development is violating the rights of South Africa's children in terms of section 28 of the Bill of Rights. The report also found that two other line departments are currently failing our children, namely the Department of Justice and Constitutional Development and the Department of Women, Children and People with Disabilities.
Among the commission's investigations and many revelations and indictments, it has found that: the state is not fulfilling its objective to protect children from abuse and neglect; the current Child Protection Register is not a true reflection of the crimes committed against children; failure to adequately implement the register has rendered it ineffective; the collation of submissions, and the receipt and recording of data for the Child Protection Register is inadequate; the training of officials to fulfil obligations related to the register is inadequate; and the Department of Social Development has had plenty of time to engage with the relevant departments and entities to ensure the register's success, but has simply failed to do so. In other words, the Department of Social Development could not be bothered.
The commission has recommended the following steps: the Department of Social Development must put in place urgent measures to ensure that the Child Protection Register is accurately and fully populated; an updated Child Protection Register must be submitted to the commission within the next four months; an audit of challenges and needs across relevant business units must be undertaken within the next three months and a report must be provided to the commission; the Department of Women, Children and People with Disabilities must increase its frequency of monitoring the implementation of that register; the Department of Justice and Constitutional Department is required to develop a comprehensive programme for the training and sustained awareness of all relevant court officials, and that includes judges, magistrates and clerks of the court; and the Department of Justice and Constitutional Development must consider a review of the Child Protection Register.
I am also writing to the chairpersons of the respective portfolio committees to request that each committee discusses the commission's report in full. It is essential that this report result in decisive action to ensure that the rights of our children are protected. If the protection of children is a priority of this government, it is inexcusable that the very register created to protect our children from harm is at best dysfunctional and at worst nonexistent.
Mr Speaker, earlier this year I submitted a private member's Bill, which aimed to include the crime of attempted rape as grounds to find someone unsuitable to work with children, and it would have corrected a serious omission in the current legislation regarding the Child Protection Register. This small, yet vital, amendment would have ensured that these monsters found guilty of attempted rape would have been prevented from working with children. I still cannot understand why the ANC members in the Portfolio Committee on Social Development voted against this important amendment.
Mr Speaker, while the commission's report is a victory for our children, it will amount to nought if the government continues to fail to ensure that the recommendations are put into action. We as Members of Parliament cannot allow any government department to continue to violate the rights of children and undermine our Bill of Rights, nor can we as legislators continue to take orders from Luthuli House and vote against crucial safety- ensuring legislation simply because the opposition introduced them. South Africa's children deserve more maturity from legislators and deserve our dedication. I thank you very much. [Applause.]
Hon Speaker and hon members, South Africans lack hope and optimism. This is what the Minister of Finance, Mr Pravin Gordhan, said on Monday. He was speaking at the release of the Goldman Sachs report at the Nelson Mandela Foundation meeting in Houghton. One person asked the question: How can we not feel hopeless if we know we are all living on borrowed time before being raped and disembowelled?
This was the case in the gruesome death of the young woman in Bredasdorp, Anene Booysen. Her rapist and murderer has been sentenced to two life terms. This must have sent chills down the spineless gang members who took part in gang-raping and murdering Anene Booysen. The swiftness and turnaround time in dealing with this case deserve accolades. We are also hoping that this will prevent first-time rapists and murderers from committing these gruesome crimes. If more first-time and serial rapists can be put behind bars, comments like, "We have rape as a national sport! What would you like us to be so bloody hopeful about?" will change and South Africans will be cheerful.
This will only happen when the Criminal (Law Forensic) Procedures Amendment Bill, commonly referred to as the DNA Bill, is passed and assented to by President Zuma. There are 1 500 serial rapists hanging about in our neighbourhoods around the country. When they are arrested, they manage to escape and evade law enforcement agents. When they are behind bars, the conviction rate is 4,9% of all reported cases. The DNA Bill will enable the testing of rape convicts already in the system. This will also close a number of cold cases, which will hopefully lead to the linking of cases to multiple rapists who are already in jail.
I would also like to assume that judging by the use of DNA in the investigation of cases by forensic detectives, the rate of arrests will also increase. The use of DNA is indeed giving women and children in South Africa high hopes. It is bringing back the optimism destroyed by a lack of intervention and policy.
This is what South African men have been doing in the two decades of our hard-earned freedom: Women have been overpowered and raped in the comfort of their beds. Others are raped in front of their children and partners. Women are not safe and cannot walk in the streets alone, lest they are accosted by these sick people.
Children are also unsafe at home and in schools. If it is not gang violence in the streets of Manenberg, Khayelitsha and Nyanga that puts women and children's lives in danger, school-going children are sexually molested by teachers on school premises. In one of Gauteng's impoverished areas, Diepsloot, two little Mali girls were found raped and murdered in the toilet in the early hours of the morning. Children are forced to grow up quickly and do not to enjoy their childhood. They cannot play in the parks because sex predators are hanging around. Children are also victims of rape by their landlords. A 57-year-old man was saved by the police from the mob after raping an eight-year-old girl living in a shack on the man's property in Katlehong.
Fathers are raping their infants and little girls instead of loving, nurturing and protecting them. We need more mothers like the one at Tshifulanani village in Thohoyandou, who took her two children, who had been raped by their father to hospital instead of protecting him. Her actions are to be lauded because he is still behind bars. Cope is aware that communities are more effective in catching the criminals. We would therefore like to encourage our communities to play a major role in assisting the police to track down sexual predators and hand them over to the police. They must not take the law into their own hands.
It is better for rapists and murderers to rot in jail for the rest of their lives than to die instantly. They must own up to their deeds alive and kicking. They are unable to cope in prison. This is why Ananius Mathe, sentenced to 54 years in prison in 2009 for rape, attempted murder and other crimes, tried many times to escape. We have prisons like Ebongweni C- Max in Kokstad, where Mathe's last attempt to escape was prevented. All rapists and murderers of women and children must be sent to Ebongweni C- Max. I thank you.
Hon Speaker and hon Deputy President, last week the Times Live ran a story entitled: "The day Anene Booysen did not turn 18". In part, it read and I quote:
... Corlia Olivier found herself slumped against a tombstone in Bredasdorp on the day her daughter Anene Booysen would have turned 18. It should have been a joyous day... the family would have laughed, celebrated together. Instead, Olivier spent several hours in the Swellendam Circuit Court with Johannes Kana, the man who raped and mutilated her child so badly that even the doctors who had treated her were traumatised.
We are faced in this House today with an issue that cuts to our hearts, but in this debate, one of the most pressing debates of our times, emotive statements must give way to decisive action. As legislators, we bear the responsibility to shape a society in which our children are safe. Clearly, we have failed. The death of Bongani Nkabinde at the hands of his schoolmates, the murder of the Diepsloot cousins, the stabbing of Michaela du Plessis - these are lives and their lives, and deaths matter. However, they are the few amongst the many.
The fact that three children die in unnatural circumstances every day in South Africa, which is higher than the international average, is a national crisis. Yet, our government often responds with emotive statements, where the correct response would be facing this crisis head-on and ruthlessly fighting all forms of crime, including the murder and rape of our children.
The IFP has called for a debate on child prostitution. We have also raised awareness of the plight of NGOs like Childline, who will lose funding because of government's new black economic empowerment codes. Knowing the statistics and sharing the pain of our people, the IFP is committed to eliminating the pervasive violence and the abuse committed against our most vulnerable citizens.
In South Africa the violence-related death rate is nearly twice the global average. This is an indictment on our country. Without a clear national plan of action, we are ill-equipped to stop this evil.
Violence against children flourishes in an environment in which their dignity is disregarded and their status diminished. Child abuse flourishes when it is hidden. It is our duty to raise awareness of child rights and to break the silence in our communities which tacitly consent to child abuse in our homes and streets.
We call on all South Africans today, who suspect or know of an abusive situation, to speak out. Our children need our protection. South Africa has reached a moral crossroads and, unless something is done urgently, we are headed for moral bankruptcy. There are many things we can and must do to turn this national crisis around.
In order for our communities to ensure the safety and security of women and children, we must provide parents with better support structures. We must train far more social workers and we can bring back the teaching of ubuntu in schools. We must bring discipline back into our schools, among both educators and learners, and we must promote family values. We must also encourage greater community involvement in the fight against crime.
We must ensure the full implementation of the Child Protection Register and we must allocate resources to the National Council Against Gender-Based Violence, which is yet to have any impact. Through prudent economic policy we can break the cycle of poverty that is often fertile soil for hopelessness and crime.
Our children deserve to be raised in homes and communities that respect their dignity and their rights, where violence is not tolerated and where there is always someone to step in on their behalf. We in this House must be that someone. I thank you. [Applause.]
Speaker, as ons kyk na die onderwerp vir vandag, sien ons dit gaan oor die saamwerk van gemeenskappe om die veiligheid van vrouens en kinders te verseker.
Ek wil begin deur te s dat dit so is dat gemeenskappe moet saamwerk. Gemeenskappe moet meer betrokke raak by mekaar. Hoe gereeld gebeur dit tog nie dat ons sien kinders en vrouens word mishandel, maar dan s ons dat ons liewers nie betrokke wil raak nie. Dit het niks met ons te doen nie! Dit is 'n verkeerde benadering ten opsigte van die veiligheid van vrouens en kinders.
As 'n mens ook gaan kyk na die polisie se taak, weet ons daar is gemeenskapspolisiringsforums, waar hulle probeer om die misdaad te bekamp. Dit is ook verkeerd om te s dit is net die polisie se taak om veiligheid te verseker.
As 'n gemeenskap moet hulle hande kan vat, want dit gee ook 'n sein en 'n baie duidelike boodskap aan die Minister van Polisie as ons gaan kyk wat gebeur byvoorbeeld op plekke soos Khutsong, waar die reg in eie hande geneem word. Dit beteken dat die gemeenskap op 'n punt gekom het, en hulle voel dat hulle magteloos is teen hierdie golf van misdaad, en sal daar strenger en sterker opgetree moet word, en meer sigbaar, deur die SA Polisiediens.
As ek dit s, wil ek ook s dat ons hoeveel wette kan maak in hierdie Nasionale Vergadering, maar 'n wet alleen is nie goed genoeg om die veiligheid van vrouens en kinders te verseker nie. Die toepassing daarvan is die belangrike, want ons het fantastiese wette. Ons het goeie wette in Suid-Afrika, maar die vraag is, hoe word dit toegepas?
Dan wil ek kom na die individu self - na vrouens, wat ook betrokke is, en mans wat betrokke is by die opvoeding van hul kinders. As ons praat oor die gemeenskap, moet ons ook oor onsself praat. Ons moet onsself afvra watter rol ons, as ouers, speel om te verseker dat ons kinders behoorlike dissipline het, en dat hulle respek het, nie net vir hulself en mekaar nie, maar ook vir ander individue en die gemeenskap. Ek wil vandag vir u s: As ons as ouers ons plig nakom en verseker dat ons kinders behoorlik opgevoed word, gaan ons baie minder probleme h, selfs wat misdaad betref.
Ek kan nie glo wat ek partymaal in die media lees, dat kinders ontvoer word, en wanneer daar navraag gedoen word oor waar die ouers was, die ma byvoorbeeld by die shebeen was of die pa en ma nie geweet het dat hul kind sonder toesig was nie. Hoe kan 'n ma en 'n pa nie weet dat hulle kinders nie onder toesig is nie? Ons het 'n verantwoordelikheid as ouers om dit te verseker.
As ons wil vinger wys na die polisie of na die gemeenskap dan moet ons weet dat daar ook vingers is wat na elkeen van ons as individu wys as ouers en as volwassenes, om te verseker dat daar behoorlike respek is. As daar respek is, gaan jy nie misdaad wil pleeg nie, want jy het dan daardie respek.
Ek wil ook vir u s, ons moet begin praat. As jy sien dat daar mishandeling van vrouens en kinders is, praat daaroor en rapporteer dit. Moenie s, "Dit het niks met my te doen nie". Op die einde van die dag is daardie mishandelde kind as gevolg van die mishandeling dalk 'n nuwe misdadiger wat jou ook dalk ook gaan raak. Tree op, dan kan ons sukses behaal. [Applous.] (Translation of Afrikaans speech follows.)
[Dr P J GROENEWALD: Speaker, when we look at the subject for today, we see it concerns the co-operation of communities in ensuring the safety of women and children.
I would like to start by saying that it is true that communities need to work together. Communities should become more involved with one other. How often does it not happen that we see children and women being abused, but we prefer not to get involved. It has nothing to do with us! This is the wrong approach regarding the safety of women and children.
When one considers the task of the police, we know that there are community police forums at which they try to curb this crime. It is also wrong to say that it is the job of the police only to ensure safety.
As a community they need to be able to take hands, since this also sends out a signal and a very clear message to the Minister of Police when we look at what is happening in places such as Khutsong, where people take the law into their own hands. This means that the community has reached a point at which they feel themselves to be powerless against this tide of crime, and stricter and stronger action will have to be taken, more visibly, by the SA Police Service.
When I say this, I also want to say that we can draw up any number of laws in this National Assembly, but a law by itself is not sufficient to ensure the safety of women and children. What is important is how it is applied, because we have fantastic laws. We have good laws in South Africa, but the question is, how are they applied?
Now I come the actual individual - to women, who are also involved, and to men who are involved in the education of their children. When we speak about the community, we also need to speak about ourselves. We need to ask ourselves what role we as parents, play in ensuring that our children have proper discipline, and that they have respect, not only for themselves and for each other, but also for other individuals in the community. Today I want to say to you: If we as parents do our duty in ensuring that our children are properly educated, we will experience far fewer problems, even with regard to crime.
I cannot believe what I sometimes read in the media: that children are kidnapped, and when the question is raised as to where the parents were, the mother, for example, was in the shebeen or the father and mother did not know that their children had been without supervision. How can a mother and a father not know that their children had been unsupervised? We as parents have a responsibility to ensure this.
If we want to point a finger at the police or at the community, we need to know that there are also fingers pointing back to each of us as individual parents and adults, to ensure that proper respect exists. If there is respect, you will not commit a crime because you will then have that respect.
I also want to tell you that we need to begin speaking out. If you see abuse of women and children occurring, then speak about it and report it. Do not say, "It has nothing to do with me." At the end of the day that abused child is, as a result of the abuse, possibly a new criminal, which may also affect you. Take action, so that we can achieve success. [Applause.]]
Speaker, in the 2012-13 financial year, according to the latest police crime statistics, nearly 50 000 crimes were committed against children around the country.
Dr Richard Griggs, who heads up a nongovernmental organisation called PARTNER and has over 20 years of experience as a social scientist and evaluator of social programmes, is of the opinion that South Africa needs a nation-building campaign of magnitude. All great nations, he says, develop their national identity with deliberate campaigns. Dr Griggs believes we could see a turnaround in less than 10 years if we committed to a mass campaign on understanding human rights; that includes caring and respect for all.
If there is no national unity or national cohesion, then it is one person competing against another for what is seen as limited resources - a recipe for disaster and violence. Countries with a strong national identity were builtup by deliberate campaigns.
The content of that campaign matters greatly. With the wrong focus, the result could be as problematic as Nazism was but, with careful planning, a strong, democratic national unity could produce positive results.
The ACDP believes that Christian democratic principles of justice, grace, forgiveness, love for others and for oneself, and a strong work ethic would go a long way to strengthening national unity and forming one people out of many diverse peoples.
Where you have millions of people to impact, it is necessary to do it through an educational campaign on human rights that goes into homes, schools, churches, streets, etc. The campaign must not just concern itself with the wellbeing of women and children, but include men.
A major concern for the ACDP, however, is that real respect for human rights is not possible without respect for human life. In South Africa, as with many other parts of the world, this concept has been clouded by confusion regarding a woman's right to reproductive health and a distorted right to take the life of a child growing in her womb. This has to change if we want children to have an ingrained respect for life, and for human rights as an extension of this.
Violence against women and children, like all crimes, is built on the belief that one person is superior to another. The inferior one lashes out, and the superior one represses. This results in children steeped in the unshakeable belief that there is always one superior to the next, and we must compete and fight for a position in the hierarchy. Many males, particularly those who feel repressed within society, will assert their right to be higher than women on a domestic level.
The ACDP believes that in order to work together as communities to ensure the safety and security of women and children, the mindset of the nation must change. Priority must be placed on a deliberate campaign of national identity, promoting care and respect for all. Thank you.
Mr Speaker, the issue of violence against women and children is not an exclusively South African problem but a worldwide issue. Violence against women and children happens in all cultures, all religions and all ethnic and racial communities, at every age and in every income group.
In Canada, for instance, with the relatively low crime statistics that the country has, the Canadian Women's Foundation reports that every six days a woman is killed in Canada by her intimate partner. Each year more than 400 000 women are sexually assaulted. In Brazil it is said that a woman is assaulted every 50 seconds. Here at home a woman is killed every six hours by her intimate partner. I do not even want to touch on the atrocities against women taking place in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and other war-torn areas.
If, therefore, violence against women and children is a global issue, could it be that the global system of governance is rendering women and children vulnerable to violence? How is it that the global community is continuing to fail to address this issue?
We in the UCDP have always maintained that the perpetrators of these crimes are our husbands, our sons, our grandsons, our brothers, and our neighbours. Women have given birth to the perpetrators. Tomorrow's perpetrator of violence against a woman is probably an innocent-looking child sitting in front of a television set right now. So, where have we lost our grasp as a global community? How is it that we continue to breed violators of women and children?
Physical and sexual violence are directly linked to the other systematic violations against women. There is no reason why there should not be equal pay for men and women doing the same job in 2013. When we continue to have such subtle but profound violations, we are also perpetuating the more aggressive forms of violence against women. We perpetuate the idea that men are superior to women and can do as they please.
If we are ever going to address grass-roots communities on violence against women and children, we need to target structural violations. We must have effective legislative reforms and the effective implementation thereof.
We need public education reforms, and by that I do not mean a once-a-year event designed in nature to be a celebratory get together. We need effective, consistent support for shelters and crisis centres. We need empowered civil society movements to influence policy direction. We must embrace emerging feminist movements and discard the notion that feminists are men-haters.
Women are obviously being endangered. Our wellbeing and sanity are being endangered. Our lives are being endangered. We are a globally oppressed group and ought always to remember that freedom is never granted by the oppressor. It is taken by the oppressed. I thank you. [Applause.]
Speaker, the MF strongly believes that if we have to wage a war against poverty and crime, and ensure peace, we will first have to begin with the women and children of our land. As parents, indeed, we are not obligated to trust anyone, but obliged to protect our children.
The killing of our toddlers is truly a tragedy, and the MF roundly condemns this kind of barbaric behaviour. Our condolences go to the families of all the toddlers involved. Minister Lulu Xingwana is absolutely correct in describing it as senseless and inexcusable. Our Constitution guarantees the right to life, and we must ensure that this right is respected. Minister Nathi Mthethwa indicated that these are shameful incidents, and the MF believes the Minister's call for communities to rally against this scourge is an accurate one.
The number of cases reported is of concern, and it is something that requires a joint effort as a nation.
Furthermmore, this deep-seated problem needs deep psychological analysis to determine why people do this. What is devastating is that most of these perpetrators are members of families or neighbours. Arresting these people is not a problem. The justice system is working, and the police are working.
The MF suggests that we should set up a team of experts comprising psychologists and social workers to analyse the kind of behaviour that we see and determine why we have this. Is it linked to poverty or ignorance? Moreover, government needs to give this priority. This team should also analyse how many cases we have had, look for a common theme, and run a campaign based on the findings. Parliament should perhaps also look at incentivising the arrest and detention of these people so that communities play a role and make an invaluable contribution.
We must therefore do everything to ensure that our children and women are protected against the inhumane circumstances that endanger their safety and security. Violence against women and children is definitely a fight that requires everyone who breathes South African air and lives on South African soil to commit themselves to unselfishly taking part in it. Thank you. [Applause.]
Hon Speaker, hon Ministers and Deputy Ministers, hon Members of Parliament, and fellow South Africans, the ANC's Strategy and Tactics states that:
... the battle against crime cannot be separated from the war on want.
Yes, indeed, the "battle against crime cannot be separated from the war on want." Lack of access to economic opportunities, lack of land ownership, and lack of education and training, which affects 42% of South Africa's female population, particularly those in rural areas, leave them vulnerable and susceptible to crime.
The crime statistics released by the Minister of Police indicate a steady decrease of 11,1% in crimes against women. Statistics on crimes against children indicate a decrease of 12,4%. While these trends are welcomed, the figures remain unacceptably high, particularly because many of these are serious crimes such as murder, rape and other violent crimes.
For instance, in yesterday's Sowetan newspaper, a gruesome article stated that a father raped his biological one-month-old and two-year-old little innocent girls while their mother attended an evening church service. These occurrences are becoming common in our country.
However, hon Van der Merwe, we have not failed; we are facing the scourge head-on. What complicates the situation is the fact that law enforcement agencies find it difficult to prevent these atrocities because they occur among acquaintances in closed homes and in poor communities.
The crime that is not frequently mentioned is the crime on our roads. Sixty percent of road accident fatalities involve women and children. In every single fatal taxi or bus crash the majority of the people who die are women and children, as they are the ones who, in the main, use public transport. Road crashes bring frustration and a sense of loss and take away the very freedom that is a vehicle to bring about peace, security and a stable family structures in our society. Road crashes are the largest unnatural killer of children in South Africa.
Many crashes are the result of acts of lawlessness and can easily be regarded as murder, and are therefore crimes. Hon members will remember the recent truck and taxi crash that occurred in Fields Hill, Pinetown, as a result of an allegedly fake licence and unroadworthy truck. Twenty-three people were killed and the majority of them were women and children.
Let me just focus on two key drivers that lead to road crashes. The first one is excessive speed or driving too fast for prevailing circumstances. This accounts for about 30% of all road crashes. The second key driver is drunken driving. It is seriously worrying that there is a remarkable increase in the number of young women between 24 and 35 years of age who drive under the influence of alcohol. During alcohol tests at road blocks, one in four people arrested is a woman. This phenomenon is attributable to a myriad of factors, among which are social trends.
It is for this reason that the Department of Transport has commenced with the 365-Days Road Safety Programme, which is linked with the United Nations Decade of Action for Road Safety pillars and, of course, the four Es. These are: education, which is awareness, enforcement of the law, engineering and evaluation. Our call to all citizens is to obey the rules of the road and not commit road-related crimes.
Women's and children's rights are entrenched in the Constitution and the Bill of Rights. Directed by the belief that "the battle against crime cannot be separated from the war on want", the ANC-led government has vigorously pursued the national agenda for women's empowerment to provide them with a higher quality of life and reduce the level of poverty among them, so that they too can contribute to the economic development of this country.
Let me mention but a few of the significant strides made by the government in addressing these challenges. There is the remarkable milestone of the broadening of the ownership of assets, including houses and land, to historically disadvantaged groups such as women and rural communities, as articulated in the National Development Plan's 2030 vision.
From October 2010, when the New Growth Path was adopted, to May this year, more than 646 000 new jobs were created. Of these, 366 000 new jobs were created particularly for women, which is 57% of the total new employment package that was created. No doubt we are on course and no doubt we are not failing.
The New Growth Path calls for greater economic inclusion through small business and youth development. Policies before 1994 largely excluded young black people. Hon Waters, how hilarious that those responsible for youth exclusion suddenly go around spreading the propaganda that they care about young black people! This, simply because all they want is their vote and nothing else. [Interjections.] Remember Judge Leon, the father of the former DA leader Mr Tony Leon, sentenced Solomon Mahlangu to death for fighting for black youth economic inclusion, and this is a fact. [Applause.] [Interjections.]
Prior to 1994 there were between 8 million and 9 million employed South Africans. Today we have more than 13,6 million employed people, which is more than 4 million new jobs created under democracy. Today 1,6 million more young people under 35 years of age are working than in 1995.
The enrolment of young women in schools and universities has also increased dramatically. In fact, in less than a decade we have doubled the number of graduates in the labour market.
Just this year the Youth Employment Accord was signed, bringing together the full efforts of both the public and private sectors. The accord provides for a comprehensive approach which includes incentives, commitments and actions to address the youth employment challenge.
In transport, a historically male-dominated sector, we have taken concrete steps to empower women and youth, both in government and in the industry at large. During the 2012-13 financial year, the SA National Roads Agency Limited trained 21 034 people, of whom 9 470 were women, in road-building projects at a cost of about R23 million.
We established a Women in Rail Programme and R1 billion is allocated for this financial year to empower and improve women's representation and facilitate technical skills development and support.
In the maritime sector we have sent 11 masters and two doctoral female students to study maritime-related courses at Malm University in Sweden. We are making a concerted effort to transform the aviation industry in regards to gender parity and racial representation. The doubting Thomases can continue with their pessimism; we are on course.
To fight crime against women and children, the SA Police Service has established victim-friendly rooms at station level and Family Violence, Child Protection and Sexual Offences Units, FCS Units at cluster level. A total of 83,18%, of convictions which is 37 457, were secured. The conviction rate in crimes committed against children younger than 18 years sent to court is 75,98%. In total about 499 life sentences was brought about by the FCS Units on crimes against women and children.
However, government cannot fight crime alone. We would like to thank communities for playing an active role in reporting crime. We urge communities not to take the law into their hands, but to work with the state law enforcement agencies.
We call upon those good men to provide leadership in their communities and say, "Not in our name - our political will to fight crime is unyielding and we are soldiering on."
Working together with communities, the public sector, the private sector and civil society, we shall stand our ground and reduce road fatalities and injuries. We shall improve the lives of women and young people. We shall reduce all crimes against women, children and all South African citizens. We have created a more inclusive economy that seeks to address the needs of all South Africans - the 51 million people of South Africa - and not just the 4 million that were provided for during the apartheid era, from which many seated in this House benefited.
As we approach the 16 Days of Activism for No Violence against Women and Children, we must, at all material times, fight against the abuse of women and children. More than ever before, we are resolute in making a difference and we are definitely on course.
As a matter of fact, I wanted to respond to hon Walters but unfortunately he displayed laziness by coming here, selectively reading a commission's report and merely committing plagiarism. So, I have nothing to say to him. I thank you. [Interjections.] [Applause.]
Hon Deputy Speaker, we South Africans, have been shocked to the core in recent months by the extent of the violence perpetrated against defenceless babies, toddlers and teenagers. It makes one wonder whether the perpetrators are indeed human beings or monsters. What turns people into these callous killing and maiming machines? What has happened to the ubuntu for which South Africans used to be known? Why are we now known for these heinous crimes? In 2012 the International Criminal Police Organisation, Interpol, reported that of all its member countries, South Africa had the highest number of reported rapes per head of the population. In 2011-12, more than 64 500 sexual offences were reported to the SA Police Service. In 2009, a study by the Medical Research Council, MRC, found that more than 25% of South African men had committed rape and of those nearly half said they had raped more than one person.
Underreporting of incidents of violence is an even a bigger issue. Research done by the MRC in Gender Links revealed that only one in 25 rapes in Gauteng was reported to the police. This points to the failure of the SAPS and the criminal justice system to deal with crime. It is a shocking state of affairs when we read daily about rogue cops, and corruption in the ranks of those who are supposed to protect the defenceless and enforce law and order. Fear of stigmatisation and secondary victimisation are also factors.
Navi Pillay, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, commented on South Africa's low arrest and conviction rate of rapists. This is not only a shocking denial of justice for the thousands of victims, but also a factor that has contributed to the normalisation of rape and violence in South African society.
What we need is a national strategy to end gender violence and violence against children. This has been called for by a group of civil society organisations who've written to the President requesting the establishment of a special fund to fight gender-based violence which will provide R10 million over the next 10 years to fund a multisector response to prevent and reduce the effects of gender-based violence in all their forms.
Now, in this time of tightening our belts, one might say that we do not have enough money. But do you know that the Nkandla security upgrades could fund the rape crisis budget of R7 million for 29 years? By the time that the security upgrades and consultants' fees have been paid on the Nkandla development, it will have cost R206 million, which is a hundred times more than what has been provided for Thuthuzela care centres.
Recently on Carte Blanche, I watched a programme about violence and bullying in some of our schools. It was shocking to see the aggression and cruelty of learners, not only towards their peers, but towards their teachers. The question was asked: Should teachers get danger pay? What has happened to the safe and nurturing environment that schools used to provide, where education was the main tool of upliftment?
We cannot wait. South Africa needs a holistically and fully funded commission of inquiry to investigate why our gender-based violence laws and policies are not being properly implemented, and why the Chapter 9 institutions are failing us.
Like many others, I have a dream, a dream that South Africa will be transformed into an oasis of freedom and justice; that patriarchal attitudes and gender-based violence will be eliminated; and that women and our precious children will not be violated and abused. May each one of you help to make our dream for our nation and its children come true. We need to get on track, Deputy Minister of Transport. This is more important - gender-based violence and looking after our children, not talking about taxis in a debate about violence and children. Thank you. [Applause.] [Interjections.]
The MINISTER OF WOMEN, CHILDREN AND PEOPLE WITH DISABILITIES: Hon Deputy Speaker, hon Deputy President and hon members, let me thank hon members for participating in this debate and, in fact, thank all the parties who made valuable inputs in this important debate, and who understand that this is a challenge for all of us, not just government. But for the DA, of course, this was just another political football that they thought they could use to ensure that they scored a few cheap political points at the expense of the tragedy of the killing and raping of our children.
We all have to take responsibility and we must all ask ourselves this question: As individuals, families or political parties, what have we done in our communities today to make women and children safe? This will lead us all to a collective sense of responsibility towards the women and children in our families, neighbourhoods, communities and country broadly.
It is only through our ongoing collective efforts in every street and in our communities that we can begin to partner with civil society organisations, the police, Social Development, Justice and health practitioners for a holistic approach to prevention and intervention mechanisms to address the violence perpetrated against women and children.
The Department of Women, Children and People with Disabilities, within its co-ordination and facilitation mandate, has been working together with various departments, NGOs and community-based organisations, through the National Council Against Gender-Based Violence, on a number of campaigns aimed at ensuring that we put all our resources together and strengthen the campaign to end gender-based violence.
In this regard, we have launched a campaign with the South African Football Association, trying to focus on the youth. This provides a platform to call upon soccer players and fans to join hands to eliminate gender-based violence, because the involvement of men, as many of the speakers have said, will specifically to ensure that we engage men in the call to end gender-based violence. This is critical if we are to significantly reduce or eliminate the high levels of violence against women and children. We launched this campaign at the Fifa soccer game between Bafana Bafana and Botswana at the Moses Mabhida Stadium in Durban on 24 August this year.
We also joined the Brothers for Life campaign, which was organised by men to mobilise men to say: "Not in my name! Enough is enough!". This was held in Johannesburg and led by the Deputy President during Women's Month.
We are also working with Lead SA in an initiative to ensure that the media provide space to continuously write articles about gender-based violence to educate the public about this scourge. In addition, we are also working with community radio stations to ensure that they educate the public on gender-based violence and how it impacts negatively on the lives of women and children.
We also believe it is important to ensure collaboration with our religious leaders. In this regard we have worked with the National Religious Council, which comprises the Christian faith community, including the South African Council of Churches, and the Muslim, Hindu and the Jewish communities. They have joined hands with the department in the fight against gender-based violence. Religious leaders have committed themselves to highlighting, in their planned and daily activities, the plight of abused women and children. They are also planning to involve young people, families and society at large to understand and uphold the Bill of Responsibilities towards the prevention of gender-based violence within a rights-based approach. They have also committed themselves to and already started writing in the media and educating communities about gender-based violence.
Our Constitution recognises our diversity, particularly cultural diversity, and therefore it is essential, because of the important role played by then, particularly in our rural areas, to work with our traditional leaders in fighting this scourge. We have established a relationship with the National House of Traditional Leaders, including all heads of the various provinces and the leaders of the Congress of Traditional Leaders of South Africa, Contralesa. They have committed themselves to joining the campaign and contributing to the elimination of gender-based violence. They have condemned the atrocious crimes committed against women and children, including elderly women.
The National House of Traditional Leaders has gender fora that are already part of the National Council Against Gender-Based Violence. They will use these platforms to educate and raise awareness in rural communities, particularly working with the wives of traditional leaders as influential members of their communities and as leaders. Ondlunkulu [chiefs' wives] will be leading this campaign in the fight against gender-based violence in our rural communities. Traditional leaders are also working with government structures such as the National Prosecuting Authority on a project called Ndabezitha, which is also focusing on fighting gender-based violence.
The President has led from the front. He has established an interministerial committee which comprises a number of Ministers, led by the Minister of Social Development, with the mandate to investigate the root causes of gender-based violence in our country.
The President has also committed himself to the UN campaign: "Unite to end violence against women", which is also called the Orange Day Campaign - an international campaign to end gender-based violence against women and children. This campaign is part of the South Africa 365 days National Action Plan to End Gender Violence, which takes place on the 25th of every month. We have already launched this campaign in various provinces, including KwaZulu-Natal, Limpopo, the Western Cape, the Free State and Gauteng.
This month the campaign will be taking place in the North West province, where we will also be launching the 16 Days of Activism for No Violence Against Women and Children campaign. The launch of the campaign will be led by the President in the North West province on the 24th of this month and we invite all of you to be part of the campaign. We will close the campaign in Gazankulu in Limpopo on 10 December, and again we invite those members who are available to be part of this important campaign.
The multisectoral approach of government to prevent and intervene by working with communities is critical. Communities remain the frontline of prevention and intervention mechanisms that will assist to ensure that we end the scourge of gender-based violence. We call on all communities to work with us to ensure the safety and security of women and children. We continue to say there should be no bail for these heinous crimes - let's have the harshest sentences against those who perpetrate these crimes! Malibongwe! [Praise!] [Time expired.] [Applause.] [Interjections.]
Debate concluded.