NATIONAL COUNCIL OF PROVINCES
QUESTION FOR WRITTEN REPLY
QUESTION NUMBER: 147
DATE FOR PUBLICATION: 30 OCTOBER 2009
DATE REPLY SUBMITTED: 15 DECEMBER 2009
Mr. T.D. Harris (DA-WC): TO ASK THE MINISTER OF WOMEN, CHILDREN AND PEOPLE
WITH DISABILITIES:
Whether she or her department had discussions with the Minister of Police
to adopt measures to (a) reduce the number of women who are raped and (b)
improve the responses of various authorities to women who report rape; If
not, what is the position in this regard; if so, what are the relevant
details
CW225E
Response:
As the Honourable MP Harris may be aware, some of the functions that
fall within the mandate of the Ministry for Women, Children and
Persons with Disabilities fall directly under the line functions of
other National Departments. One such example is the issue of
eradicating violence against women and children which falls within the
mandates of the Departments of Police, Justice and Constitutional
Development, Health, Social Development and the National Prosecuting
Authority.
As such, the Ministry for Women, Children and Persons with
Disabilities has an oversight and monitoring role over these
deliverables by other departments.
I must also highlight to the Honourable MP Harris that some of these
line functions include the issue of the National 365 days Action Plan
which seeks to address violence against women and children, including
the issue of rape and meeting the national targets on the reduction of
rape instances. Other programmes as part of this comprehensive inter-
departmental action plan, is to also look at the issues of victim
empowerment; treatment, care and handling of such cases; as well as
measures to fast-track cases through the criminal justice processes.
Having said this, I must point out that as a new department, we are
not in a position to drive this process yet, given the fact that we
are not fully capacitated nor has the department received a budget for
its programmes. However, as the Minister mandated to carry out this
function, I have held meetings during August to September 2009 with
the Minister for Police, Mr. Nathi Mthetwa, around the issue of
violence against women and children and all its related aspects. This
included the issue of addressing rape against women and children, fast
tracking the process of responses to such incidences as well as the
possibility of re-instating the Childrenâs Units in the Police
Service.
Furthermore, we are entering the period of the 16 Days Activism
Campaign from 25 November to 10 December, during which time all these
issues will be raised with the various political principles. In
addition, I want to add that the Programme of Action for the Womenâs
Empowerment and Gender Equality Branch in the Department for Women,
Children and Persons with Disabilities has included the coordination
of the 365 Days Programme for 2010/2011 fiscal year. However, the
Branch intends to begin the process during the remainder of the
2009/10 fiscal year by coordinating an inter-departmental meeting to
obtain an overall status of the programme.
END