Chairperson and hon members, since 1998, South Africa has joined the world community by actively engaging in the campaign of 16 Days of Activism Against Violence Against Women.
For South Africa, it became very important to also include children in this campaign because we are a signatory to the Convention on the Rights of the Child. Indeed, we have ongoing debates around this issue. To mention a few examples -
Sithini uma ngabe indoda ihlupha inkosikazi yayo iminyaka yabo yonke besemshadweni, kodwa kuthi mhla ishona ibeke izimbali ebhokisini layo?
Sithini ngengqungquthela eyayiseNyakatho Koloni eyayimayelana nodlame olubhekiswe kwabesifazane, lapho kwavela khona ukuthi iphoyisa lashisa inkosikazi yalo ngamanzi ngesikhathi kuqala lo mbhidlango?
Sithini ngentombazane engezwa eyadlwengulwa abantu abathathu okwathi uma ifika enkantolo icela umuntu ozoyitolikela kwathiwa akekho, ngaleyo ndlela yangaluthola usizo?
Sithini ngentombazane ekhubazekile enqondweni eyadlwengulwa umuntu emaziyo kwathi uma sekufikwa enkantolo, kwabuzakala ukuthi ubani oyidlwengulile, yakhomba umfana wakwaSimelane okwakuvele kukunguyena umfana wakwaSimelane? (Translation of isiZulu paragraphs follows.)
[What do we say when a man abuses his wife throughout their marital life, and yet when he dies she places flowers on his coffin?
What do we say about the conference that was held in the Northern Cape in which we heard about a policeman who had poured boiling water over his wife during the early days of this campaign?
What do we say about the deaf girl who was raped by three men and when she went to the police station to report the case, and she further asked for a sign language interpreter she was told that there was no interpreter and could therefore not receive any assistance?
What do we say about the mentally retarded girl who was raped by a man who was known to her and, in court, when she was asked to identify the person who had raped her, she pointed out the son of Simelane who turned out not to be the son of Simelane?]
What do we say about the woman who was stripped naked by the hostel dwellers, because she was wearing pants? This time it was not a short dress, to which people always say, "You were raped because you were wearing a short dress".
Sithini ngendaba yase-Free State ngesikhathi ikhomishane ebhekelele ubulili ebizwa nge-Gender Commission, lapho kwakunengqungquthela eyayimayelana nodlame olubhekiswe kwabesifazane kwavela ukuthi ... [What do we say about the Free State case, during the conference on violence against women, organised by the Gender Commission, in which we heard that ...] A 64-year-old man raped an eight-year-old girl. On failing to penetrate, he had to cut this little girl's vagina to be able to penetrate her.
Sithini ngendaba yaseMpumalanga, KwaBhokweni, lapho inkosikazi yashonelwa umkhwenyana wayo owayeyihlupha futhi engayinakile? Kwathi omama ababekhona lapho bathi ukuze ikwazi ukukhalela umkhwenyana wayo, bazoyincinza ngempintshisi lapha ezinhlangothini. Bayincinza-ke ... (Translation of isiZulu paragraph follows.)
[What are we saying about an incident in Mpumalanga, KwaBhokweni, where a woman who had lost her abusive and uncaring husband was hurt? The women who were there at the funeral said that if she did not mourn the death of her husband, they would pinch her with pliers on her sides so that she could be seen to be mourning the death of husband. They pinched her ...]
... until she was black and blue.
Siyazi-ke ukuthi ... [We all know that -.] ...the provincial and local governments are spearheading this programme.
In any case, the government is doing all it can through the laws and other ways to fight this scourge. The Sexual Offences Bill broadens the definition of sexual violence and helps ensure heavy sentences for convicted offenders. The legislatures, the judiciary and the public have got to ensure that this legislation has an impact.
South Africa has taken concrete steps in dealing with abuse through courts, Parliament, Chapter 9 institutions and specialised training that is given to the police in dealing sensitively with survivors of violence. The women of South Africa, during the last decade, followed their sisters on other continents, leaving behind the title of housewife and entering the labour market.
However, these days, women in South Africa find themselves unemployed and because of this there is an increased need for cash incomes to produce economic empowerment, particularly in the rural areas. Young women, with some education, are aware of the gap between urban and rural life, and reject the drudgery of enforced domestic work as daughters in the family and increasingly have access to information about the lack of opportunities and how others live their lives.
The way these dimensions impact on one another is contextual, but they ultimately contribute to the major migration of young women and girls, not just men, as it used to be. Many of them are at high risk of being trafficked and others killed, as was the case on the KwaZulu-Natal south coast's Shayamoya, where women were promised employment, only to be killed and some of their body parts removed. These killings have raised serious concerns throughout the country. According to the report of the International Organisation for Migration, trafficking of women and children for sexual exploitation is a significant problem in Southern Africa. Trafficking of women is the fastest-growing source of profit for organised crime worldwide, second only to guns and drugs.
Unlike drugs, the advantage of human cargo is that it is recycled and reused. It is clear that women and children are trafficked specifically to work in forced prostitution; others are recruited to work in agricultural and manufacturing sectors for next to nothing in appalling conditions.
In conclusion, it is the responsibility of all South Africans to strive for nonviolence, particularly against women and children, and to conscienctise their children on nonviolent behaviour. Further, men have a role in ending violence and making a difference.
Let men be counted in the fight against violence and abuse. We are, however, encouraged that some men are becoming advocates of no violence against women and they are becoming part of the solution. We further caution women who expose other women to violence, such as...
... kuyabekezelwa emendweni futhi libanjwa lishisa ... [... marriage is not a walk in the park and that one must persevere ...] ... because that is oppressing and that is violence against women. Thank you. [Applause.]