Cape Town - Women, men and children of all ages gathered at the gates of Parliament to protest against gender-based violence and femicide (GBVF).
The protest, on Tuesday, was organised by non-profit advocacy group Right2Know (R2K), with about 100 people from Manenberg, Tafelsig, Wesbank, Gugulethu and Khayelitsha.
R2K activist Thilda Jack Yoppe said the protest was a part of a number of awareness campaigns to ensure their voices were heard.
“We are feeling pain. Each day our children are not feeling safe. They are being raped by our families, their own fathers and brothers. No woman feels safe in this country.”
She said grassroots programmes and movements supporting the fight against GBVF were not receiving the necessary support and funds from the government.
“Before the pandemic, the government released soldiers and police. People were beaten on the street, but up till today when we report a case of a child that was brutally murdered, nothing is happening. When you report a case of a raped child nothing happens.”
According to R2K, at least eight women are murdered by their partners each day in South Africa, and only one in nine cases of reported rape results in a conviction.
Some of the demands stated in their memorandum was:
- The government, in consultation with civil society, should establish education programmes to address the root causes of GBVF.
- The Department of Women, Children and Persons with Disabilities must implement the Emergency Response Action Plan on GBVF.
- National Prosecuting Authority, the Judiciary and the Department of Justice should, among others, prioritise GBVF cases and improve conviction rates, and add GBVF awareness to school curriculum.
Diana Fisher, 57, from Wesbank, called for violence against children to end. Fisher's granddaughter was sexually assaulted in 2017.
Vanessa Bester, 52, from Wesbank, said she was part of the protest because she wanted to feel free and respected as a woman.
“I want to be respected as a woman, so the violence can stop. My cry is that I would like to be respected. Everyone in the street wants to be. We want to be respected in our houses. We can’t keep our mouths shut anymore. We have to speak about everything that has hurt us.”
Cosatu provincial organiser Paul Bester said the dignity of women needed to be fought for.
Cape Argus