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.