Deputy Speaker, the debate on 16 Days of Activism for No Violence against Women and Children today takes place under the shadow of the tragic killing of a newlywed British tourist who was on honeymoon with her husband. The ACDP is concerned that this criminal act may have a negative impact on the number of tourists that we are expecting in our country this year.
We believe that more should be done to stop the unabating sexual assaults and violence against women and children in our country. We also believe that we must move away from 16 days of activism to 365 days of activism against all forms of violence in our country. As the ACDP has stated in the past, it is time for government to move beyond trying to create awareness; it needs to start solving the problem.
If government wants to see results in their fight against violence against women and children, we recommend that the following should also be done. Firstly, they must ensure that minimum sentencing legislation for convicted abusers is applied. Secondly, they must provide courts and personnel to deal speedily with these issues. Lastly, they must provide better training for police, and better forensic services and victim care centres. I thank you. [Applause.]