Cape Town - Anti-gender based violence (GBV) activists have again pleaded with the government to help put a stop to the killing of women, children and the LGBTQI Plus community.
The Anti-GBV Movement, made up of students and lay people, held a demonstration outside Parliament yesterday calling for an end to GBV.
Dressed in black, the group lay on the ground for five minutes, while observing Covid-19 protocols, and paid their respects to those who have suffered and died due to GBV.
One of the organisers Luke Walpham said the demonstration was a continuation of much-needed action to halt GBV.
“We handed a memorandum of demands to government officials calling for, among others, the sex offenders’ list to be made public; legalisation of sex work; and for the government to release a report of what they had done in the past nine months to end this scourge.
“GBV is on the rise in the country and we need the government to prioritise the fight against it,” she said.
GBV survivor Susana Kennedy said she had been a victim of abuse since the age of 3, suffering at the hands of men she trusted.
She said the protest was her way of finally setting herself free.
“I have suffered greatly at the hands of men I trusted, and seeing young woman speak out, was so emotional, because that’s something I couldn’t do for a long time.
“The system is failing victims which is why most people who have been through this don’t speak out; they are too scared,” she said.
The 41-year-old also called on the government to do more to empower the vulnerable.
Advocacy group Ilitha Labantu spokesperson Siyabulela Monakali said: “As a nation we need to come together and take action against the scourge of violence against women and children.
“It requires a collective effort to root out this scourge, irrespective of race, class, religion, geography or background.
“We all have to play our part to end gender-based violence,” Monakali said.