Hon Deputy Speaker, I abhor violence in all its forms and I have found myself struggling to reconcile the pride that I have for my country with the horror of the violence that is perpetrated against South African women on a daily basis. This cycle of violence has to stop, and we must do everything in our power to break it.
At the outset, we need to understand that violence against women is part of a continuum that starts with sexist attitudes and utterances. Even in this esteemed House, we have been exposed to sexist statements, such as calling a political leader "a little girl". Utterances like this are an attempt by men to put women in their so-called place, a practice that needs to be resisted if we are going to provide leadership to our people in fighting the scourge of patriarchy. Sexism, like racism, is something that needs to be unlearnt if we are going to build the kind of society that is envisaged in our Constitution, and it starts here, hon members.
Our children also need to be taught that power is not a zero-sum game; that you cannot acquire power through making somebody else feel powerless. We need to ensure that life skills workshops in our schools forcefully drive this message home. At the same time, we need to ensure that our justice system affords women the protection they deserve instead of the all-too- often experience of inflicting secondary trauma on them.
What is needed now is not new legislation, but rather the comprehensive implementation of our existing legislation. The Domestic Violence Act is rightfully lauded as an extremely progressive piece of legislation, but it requires political will and sufficient budget to ensure that it achieves its aims. A recent study into shelters for women who have suffered domestic violence has revealed that the state only contributes R30 per day for a woman and her children at a shelter, whereas it spends R313 per day on each of our prisoners. This is a sad indictment of our government's priorities.
In 2009, the Department of Social Development made a commitment to establish and improve two shelters annually in each province for five years, but to date no new shelters have been established. The primary reason for this is that this government has simply not put its money behind its lofty rhetoric. Another representation of our skewed priorities is that courts were speedily erected for the World Cup, but our Justice Minister called on women to have patience when it comes to the re-establishment of sexual offences courts.
Expressing our outrage in this House will do nothing to help the women of South Africa out there. What is required is sustained political will, budgetary resources and political leadership that is truly committed to fighting patriarchy in all its guises. This government will be judged not by its words, but by its actions in this regard. I thank you. [Applause.]