Hon members, I think the government can only do so much to ensure that the laws that have been enacted are understood by all citizens - regardless of their levels of education - so that these should be used as a form of protection against abuse as well as rape.
The difficulty, as I indicated earlier on, is that these are offences which, in the main, happen within family settings rather than just out there in the public space. Because of that, there are no early warnings or signals that indicate that such an offence is about to be committed. If you add into the mix substance abuse and so on, then the challenge becomes even more complex.
But, generally speaking, the government would like to ensure that all women are aware, first and foremost, of their protections and are able to read the indicators. Sometimes it becomes possible to read the intentions of certain approaches. Of course, government alone will not be able to be omnipresent and reach out to everyone. This is work that we ought to do in partnership with community-based organisations, NGOs and other kinds of formations. Thank you.
Position regarding commitment by African countries to increase health expenditure by 15%
14. Mr M J R de Villiers (DA) asked the Deputy President:
(1) Whether the commitment that was signed by African countries in 2001 in Abuja, Nigeria, to increase their expenditure on health by up to 15%, was an agreement document between these countries; if not, what is the position in this regard; if so, what is the status of this agreement as an implementation document;
(2) whether South Africa formed part of the African countries that committed themselves to this agreement; if not, why not; if so, what are the relevant details;
(3) (a) what percentage of this 15% that was committed to will be spent on HIV/Aids, (b) what percentage is currently spent on HIV/Aids, (c) where does the SA National Aids Council fit into the (i) planning and (ii) decision-making on how the 15% is spent and (d) how is this expenditure implemented?