Share
Copied
A man holds a banner reading "No woman will be killed in my name" during the "One Nation, One Voice" campaign to remove the scourge of child abuse, femicide and other social ills facing all communities in South Africa, in Durban, June 30, 2018. /VCG Photo
South African President Cyril Ramaphosa on Wednesday called a joint sitting of Parliament to tackle the crisis of violence against women.
"I have called this special joint sitting of the houses of Parliament because there is a dark and heavy shadow across our land," Ramaphosa told MPs at the joint sitting.
There is a very violent and brutal war underway against the women of South Africa, said Ramaphosa, adding that South Africa is one of the most unsafe places in the world for a woman to live in, with levels of violence that are comparable to countries that are at war.
The latest development came amid an increase in femicides which has shocked South Africa in recent days.
Last year, 2,700 women and over 1,000 children died at the hands of another person in South Africa, said the president.
Nicholas Ninow, accused of raping a seven-year-old girl, lowers down his head while sitting inside the dock at the North Gauteng High Court ahead of his trial, September 9, 2019. /VCG Photo
Every single day the police receive over 100 cases of reported rape, said he, adding that this does not count the many more cases of rape and sexual assault that are not reported.
Figures provided by Statistics South Africa show that one in five South African women older than 18 has experienced physical violence by a partner.
"While it has its own specific causes and features, gender-based violence reflects a broader crisis of violence in our society," Ramaphosa said.
Facing this bad situation, the women of this country are demanding that a state of emergency should be declared, he said.
This "will enable us to deal more effectively with the scourge," said Ramaphosa.
Now it is time for all political parties to place violence against women at the center of their concerns, he said.
Girls practice self defense methods during a session with NGO Action Breaks Silence called "Empowerment through Self-defence for women and girls" at Mbuyisa Makhubu Primary School in the area of Orlando West, October 10, 2018. /VCG Photo
Ramaphosa said he was looking forward to hearing concrete proposals from political parties on how these challenges can be tackled together.
"To enhance the safety of women we are going to, as a matter of urgency, make the necessary amendments to our laws and policies to ensure that perpetrators of gender-based violence are brought to book," said the president.
Given the urgency of the situation, the government has developed an emergency action plan, which will be implemented over the next six months.
The plan strengthens existing measures and introduces new interventions in five principal areas -effective prevention of gender-based violence; strengthening of the criminal justice system; enhancement of the legal and policy framework; adequate care, support and healing for victims of violence; and improvement of the economic power of women.
This emergency action plan will be driven by an interim steering committee located in the presidency and co-chaired by the government and civil society organizations, Ramaphosa said.