Sekela-somlomo, mandithabathe eli thuba ndivuyisane noNkosazana Xingwana ngokunikwa lo msebenzi umkhulu kangaka wokukhokela eli sebe. Sikho sonke, siza kukuxhasa. [Deputy Speaker, let me take this opportunity to congratulate Ms Xingwana for being given this important task of being the Minister of this department. We are all here and we will support you.]
Hon Deputy Speaker and hon members, we are urged this afternoon, as we have been urged for the past 11 years, not to look away, but to act against abuse. For most of the past few weeks the news headlines that have captured the attention of the entire nation have revolved around unspeakable acts of violence against not only women, but also children. The acts of rape committed against helpless old women, young women whose lives are negatively impacted upon, and vulnerable children who are placed under the care of their relatives, unfortunately seem to be the order of the day in our communities.
Hon members do not need to be reminded of the plight of the 12 women who fell victim to a serial rapist in Johannesburg, the two women who were raped in a temple in Chatsworth, Durban, and the girl child who was raped by her grandfather in Balfour, an incident of horror.
What is clearly intolerable is the lack of action by school authorities and teachers who have been made aware of rape, violence and intimidation involving young men and schoolgirls, but have done nothing to stop these evil deeds. We call on our government, civil society and the private sector to take harsh action against the school authorities and teachers who are implicated in these cases, so that we can send a strong, clear message that we shall not tolerate any form of violence and abuse against anyone, especially women and children, who are the most vulnerable members of our society.
A few lessons can be learned from the events of these past few days. Every day we are faced with some form of sexual and physical violence, victimisation, abuse and disrespect directed at women and children, which has the impact of wearing them down. The question we have to ask ourselves is whether or not we as individuals are to blame for perpetrating many of these actions, and how we offer support to those amongst us who are suffering. Related to that, we should be asking ourselves how far we go in celebrating successes achieved by women, especially girl children, as well as how we encourage each other and rally around those amongst us who are striving to achieve something better.
Today, as we prepare ourselves to respond to the call made by the Minister, hon Xingwana, we have to congratulate members of the SA Police Service on the sterling work done by them in apprehending a suspected serial rapist outside Durban on Friday. The SA Police Service were able to achieve this through the assistance of the members of the public who provided information on the alleged serial rapist. The participation of community members can be made possible by, for example, creating neighbourhood watches in all communities.
When putting emphasis on the theme for this year's campaign - which is, "Don't look away; act against abuse!" - all of us are called upon not to watch from the sidelines and do nothing, but to speak out and take a stand. When we hear screams and shouts of abuse around us, we must make it our business to act.
There are many organisations and activists who are selflessly involved in mobilising men to fight violence against women and children. In many instances these men and women are working hard, away from the limelight and with inadequate resources. I will mention only a few of them today, but there is no shortage of information about these organisations and the work that they do.
The Brothers for Life with their slogan "Yenza Kahle" [Do the right thing] send their message to us on television all the time. Sonke Gender Justice who say, "One Man Can" and can be seen during episodes of the soapie Generations on television, is another such organisation. There is also Hearts of Men, whose project is aimed at lifting men out of unemployment and poverty hands-on, and which teaches young men and fathers not to perpetrate violence against women. Last but not least there is the Movement for Good whose rallying philosophy is, "It starts with you."
The role of Parliament and its members, in particular the role and responsibility of male parliamentarians, is of outmost importance in upholding and taking forward the seeds that have been sown by these organisations. Of equal importance are the role and responsibilities of female parliamentarians in speaking out about the abuse of women and children in all spheres of our lives and interactions. The responsibility that must be taken up by all Members of Parliament is also to find ways of strengthening support to men's groups in order to sustain the work that they do.
The activities supporting the 16 Days campaign have been communicated to you today. It is incumbent upon each of us to ensure that we do not remain on the sidelines; that we participate, and even take the lead, in ensuring that the abuse of women and children is completely eradicated during our lifetime. It is our collective responsibility to send out the message that men are capable of loving passionately, respectfully and with sensitivity; that women wish to feel safe in their neighbourhoods and are prepared to build trust between themselves and their partners.
We must commend our government for stepping up and sustaining the 16 Days of Activism for No Violence against Women and Children as an annual campaign. The campaign should not end in December every year, but we should be vigilant and guard against all forms of abuse throughout the year.
We can achieve a lot if we can also direct our attention to the ratification of the Southern African Development Community, SADC, protocol on gender development. South Africa has to ensure that efforts by all communities are supported by the ratification of the protocol without further delay.
In the name of collective action, together we can do more to eradicate the scourge of violence and abuse against women. Enkosi. [Thank you.] [Applause.]
Debate concluded.