The speech was delivered by GOOD Member of Parliament, Shaun August during the debate on 16 Days of Activism in Parliament, Cape Town today.
16 Days of Activism: Enough is Enough!
24 November 2020
Honourable Chairperson
There is no doubt, that the physical, emotional and sexual violence against women and children continue to escalate at an alarming rate.
No one is born with violence running through their DNA. We are born into a world that has become besieged with violence that we see within our own families and our communities.
Unfortunately, there are no pills on the market that will stop sexual predators disrespecting and attacking women and girls.
And there is no magic wand available to the State to stop the scourge, either.
A smoothly functioning criminal justice system would help. But no number of police on the streets and prosecutors in the NPA can prevent a father attacking a mother in the privacy of their home.
We have to do it, ourselves. All of us, as individuals, in our organisations and workplaces, and as a society.
How do we do it? The first step is diagnosis. We must acknowledge that we’re dealing with a pandemic that never sleeps, 365 days per year.
We cannot condense our response into 16 days of activism, and hope it will have an effect for the rest of the year. 16 days of activism is not a vaccine.
The second step revolves around ownership. The plague of gender-based violence is brewed in our homes, in our attitudes towards each other, in what our children learn from us. We’re teaching them early to disrespect girls.
Every single South African has a responsibility to question how structure and practises at home contribute to poisoning the minds of our children – specifically, our boys.
It is an uncomfortable question. We can’t hide behind our cultures or traditions. If we continue raising our boys with the same set of values our girls and women will continue to suffer.
If you are a leader in your family and an upstanding member of your community, what are you doing to address violence against women and children in your own backyard?
The third step is where the State comes into it, with its policing, criminal justice, education and social development functions.
GOOD proposes we redefine the role of police and police stations. They should become hubs of compassion and support, prioritising safety and security – while ensuring perpetrators get the message that if they cross the line they are going to get caught.
GOOD proposes we revisit our prison system. Yes, harsher sentences should be implemented, but what happens after the sentences have been imposed?
Are the perpetrators being rehabilitated before being allowed back into our society?
Are there enough social workers to support families and communities, to counsel victims, to rebuild shattered confidence?
What stories are our teachers reading to our children in the early years? Have we introduced curriculum changes to contribute to stemming the crisis?
Those are some of the practical things we can do to stimulate and support behaviour change, every day of the year.
When we’re all swimming in the same direction we will have banished this plague to history.
Ends…