Women and children are invariably the most vulnerable people when it comes to violence. It may be violence in the family or in society. South Africa is a signatory to the Convention on the Elimination of all Forms Discrimination against Women. Therefore, it is expected that South Africans should conform to the protocol adopted in the convention. Men who hold the view that women are lesser beings who were made out of the dust or crumbs of clay that fell off the master's table when he made a super gender, man, should be reminded what the Inter-Parliamentary Union had to say about women in 1994, and I quote:
The combination of efforts on the part of all of society's components is indispensable to tackle and resolve the problems facing society. Emphasis should thus be placed on two complementary concepts: the concept of parity which reflects the fact that persons of one or the other sex are different but nonetheless equal; and the concept of partnership, which shows that a creative synergy can be created between men and women so as to tackle and resolve the community's problems effectively.
This goes to prove that there is no master or super gender and by extension no super or master human being. Women and children should be treated with love and respect. While there is merit in calling for state-of-the-art buildings and deluxe vehicles for law enforcement agencies, it is also important that these agencies should be resourced with the best human resources, people who care, empathise and sympathise, who are resourceful and compassionate. We do not need officers who have hearts of stone when dealing with women and children. The UCDP envisages a period in our lives when activism against women abuse will be a way of life. I thank you.