Modulasetulo, ha ke o lebohe. Ke lebohe Letona, Mme Xingwana, Matona kaofela a tswang diporofenseng le ditho tsa Palamente kaofela. [Chairperson, let me thank you. I would also like to thank hon Minister Xingwana, all MECs from provinces and all Members of Parliament.]
After developing one of the few progressive constitutions in the world in 1996, the ANC-led government started in earnest to complement this Constitution with a legislative framework that would destroy the apartheid laws and develop human rights at all levels of human existence. Thus we would be forgiven by the world when as South Africans, post 1994, we prided ourselves on having such a progressive Constitution, with a legislative framework that protected women and children while promoting a culture of human rights. As a society, post 1994, we were also applauded by our neighbouring countries, SADC, for having such a vibrant civil society, with nongovernmental organisations and faith-based organisations working and campaigning in partnership with business, traditional leaders, state-owned enterprises and the media to raise awareness about the abuse of women and children.
Nevertheless, as we entered our third term as the ANC-led national government, we realised that an increase in domestic violence, women abuse and child rape and pornography was being reported by both the police and those NGOs dealing with women and children abuse. In the fourth term, in 2009, it was vividly clear to us as government that more needed to be done to consolidate our gains of the past 16 years in government, as informed by the lessons learnt from our mistakes as the ANC government. Indeed, as we are gathered here yet again to commemorate and celebrate the 16 Days of Activism for No Violence Against Women and Children, for the 12th year, we all need to acknowledge that this event has surely evolved because it was prompted by the following recent historic developments.
Firstly, we now have a special Ministry for Women, Children and People with Disabilities, which was established in 2009 and is currently being led by hon Minister Xingwana. Secondly, the Ministry of Police reintroduced the Family Violence, Child Protection and Sexual Offences Unit in 2010. Thirdly, as a UN member state, South Africa submitted to the UN, in June 2011, a groundbreaking resolution that asked the international body to undertake a study on discrimination, sexual orientation and related crimes. Hon Xingwana was part of this collective.
We as the ANC-led government yet again find resonance with the wise words of Dr Martin Luther King, who said: "The arc of history is long, but it bends towards justice." With all the developments mentioned above, we as government, in our long walk to freedom, have helped and are continuing to help bend the arc of history towards justice. And yes, we agree with the NGOs who say that changing laws and strategies can be swift but giving them effect and changing the mind-sets that often render them ineffective is a much more demanding task.
As recently as Monday, we witnessed a hate crime case - the case of the late Zoliswa Nkonyana - dragging on for six years with no apparent solution. Yes, justice cannot bring Zoliswa Nkonyana back to her mother. But visibly and swiftly prosecuting sexual violence and hate crimes may tell the survivors of such crimes - and any potential perpetrator - that government does care for all victims of crime, regardless of race, gender or sexual orientation. We would further like to commend the courts for the guilty verdict imposed on the heartless criminals in Zoliswa's case. But for us as the police, it is not enough just to change mind-sets to make our laws effective. It is also not enough to read much into the high statistics recorded for gender-based and sexual violence against children. Statistics are there to observe and record factual trends of crime so as to plan future operations.
As the leadership of the police, we continuously seek to align ourselves with government's approach, and reviewing and improving the way we fight all types of crime. Thus, there needed to be a fundamental paradigm shift in the core operations of the police. Changing the way the police operates in fighting and preventing crime meant a dramatic change in strategies, but all these strategies are informed by three critical and fundamental principles: firstly, the high visibility of police in all crime hotspots while executing high-density operations; secondly, an enhanced partnership in fighting and preventing crime between police and other government departments such as Sars, the Department of Home Affairs and the Department of Transport; and thirdly, enhancing the responsibility of communities to work with the government and police to fight and prevent crime in our townships, suburbs and rural farming communities. The emphasis on community responsibility to help fight crime is informed by the call made by our government to work together to do more and make a better life for all our people.
As the Deputy Minister of Police, a mother and a grandmother, I think that the third critical issue I have just mentioned - that of the responsibility of communities - is fundamental. Nothing is more fundamental than the role of the family as part of the community in fighting and preventing crime, especially the fight against the abuse of children and women.
It is a fact that sexual violence against children and women holds the entire community to ransom. Women cannot walk freely to work, to neighbours, or just take a jog. Children cannot get to school safely. These days, even schools are a haven for criminals. We recently saw a 16-year-old girl being kidnapped, raped and killed on her way back from school.
As we are gathered here, commemorating 16 Days of Activism for No Violence Against Women and Children, I want us to remember the fundamental role that parents should ultimately play in the development, safety and general wellness of their family and their children in particular. Yes, the police have a key role in fighting and preventing crime in our society, especially during this time of the festive season. However, we must all realise that fighting crime often begins with tackling unacceptable and antisocial behaviour, beginning in the family sphere within the community. I am saying this because scientific research has shown that a high number of women and children have been and are still being raped, murdered, molested and sexually exploited by those who are close or familiar to them.
South Africa cannot forget the high-profile case of a British tourist who was implicated in the murder of his wife just a year ago. Then there were those horrific murders of children in the space of a week in some of our provinces - in the Northern Cape and Western Cape, to mention some of them. But this also happens in other provinces that we might not be aware of. Horrific crimes are being perpetrated by so-called "loved ones" or people from within the family sphere.
We are saying, therefore, that as we commemorate the beginning of 16 Days of Activism for No Violence Against Women and Children, let us all enhance the partnership with the police to fight crime by emphasising the importance of the family as part of the strong link that creates a safer environment, for the young in particular. We have to support the multifaceted approach, as endorsed by the police leadership, which says that the success of SAPS operations, such as "When Duty Calls" and others, will largely be due to a close working relationship between communities at large, schools in general and families in particular.
As parents and families, we must catch our children early enough to teach them and shape their knowledge of behaviour and attitudes to matters of safety and security. Therefore, we call on parents, educators and community leaders to form a sustainable partnership with the police, because children's earliest interactions occur within the sphere of the family and community. Family and community members are the first ones to see the early signs of risk or threat to the wellbeing of a child. For instance, some signs of risk can be seen as early as in infancy or early childhood, such as aggressive behaviour, lack of self-control or a difficult temperament.
Our strategy as police has indeed shifted for the better to become smarter. This has happened so effectively and efficiently that it addresses the vulnerability of our children and women to violence, abuse and sexual exploitation. The SAPS acknowledges that often the family situation heightens a child's risk of all sorts of abuse. It is also a fact that when there is a lack of attachment and nurturing by parents or caregivers, and where there is a parent who abuses alcohol or drugs, or one who is violent, the child is immediately put at risk at all levels of his or her formative years and development.
We the police are therefore proud that we have introduced the SAPS Woman Prestige Award in order to encourage female police officers and civilians to go beyond the call of duty and help uplift families within the community. This year our winner, Ms Dimpho Prudence Nkosi from Mpumalanga, did very well throughout the financial year. In addition to her outreach work she adopted a baby boy whose mother had died when he was only a month old. Dimpho is nurturing this child. [Applause.]
Dimpho Nkosi is one of the many unsung heroines in the SAPS who are building the public's trust and confidence by showing that police officers are visible and available, and that the police are always on the community's side, keeping them safe. As the SAPS, we are emphasising the role of the family and of parents as being one of the strong links in the policing partnership. That is because as parents and mothers we know that kids don't read their parents' lips but watch their parents' actions.
We have the challenge of children younger than 18 years of age living in households where a parent or other adults use illicit drugs or distribute drugs. We have children who live in households where a parent or other adults are heavy drinkers. We have children who live in households where a parent or a relative is a child molester or a woman beater.
We are calling on parents to use the information made available by the police in regard to the Family Violence, Child Protection and Sexual Offences units to help themselves and their children take preventive action before problems occur. We are calling on schools and educators to strengthen learning and bonding at schools by addressing aggressive behaviour and poor concentration in partnership with the police. We want to encourage our policewomen and policemen to continue doing sterling work in our quest to make South Africa a safer and better place to live.
In conclusion, as we go to Cop 17, let us put the theme of climate change into proper context. When natural disasters strike, those who are the least empowered - the women - suffer the most. So, in the same vein, the prevention of sexual violence is inseparable from the empowerment of women, who remain the least empowered. [Applause.]