Chairperson, hon members, our debate is focusing on the 16 Days of Activism for No Violence Against Women and Children. This is a national campaign which focuses primarily on generating an increased awareness of the negative impact of violence on women and children, as well as society at large.
The incidents of violence perpetrated against women and children and the youth remain unacceptably high in our country. Former Minister Charles Nqakula stated that crime conducted in the country indicated that social crime, particularly the abuse of women and children, is highly problematic. Due to time constraints I will not dwell on the crime statistics.
Okuhle ngalo mkhankaso ukuthi usibandakanya sonke thina zinhlanga zalapha nanoma siqhamuka kuliphi iqembu lezombusazwe. Kuyinto enhle kakhulu le ngoba udlame olubhekiswe komama kanye nabantwana luyinto enzima kakhulu futhi ebuhlungu. Yingakho-ke kubalulekile ukuthi lo mkhakaso siwuphathise okwezikhali zamantungwa.
Lo mkhankaso siwusebenzisa njengelinye lamacebo ethu okuqeda udlame nokuhlukunyezwa komama nakubantwana. Ake sibuke into eyenzeke ngomhlaka 24 Okthoba kuwo lonyaka lapho kwabakhona abantu asebephelelwe unembeza ngoba bakwazi ukunukubeza umntwana oneminyaka eyisikhombisa kuphela baze bashabalalisa impilo yakhe imbala. Lokhu kwenzeke khona lapha eduze nathi. Lokhu kukhombisa ukucekelwa phansi kwamalungelo abantwana ngabantu abanezinhliziyo ezilukhuni ngendlela engelinganiswe nalutho. Abacwaningi bathi njalo emahoreni ayisithupha kubulawa owesifazane yilowo asuke ethandana naye. (Translation of isiZulu paragraphs follows.)
[What is good about this campaign is that it involves everyone - this country's different racial groups irrespective of political affiliation. And this is a very good thing as violence against women and children is a very difficult and painful thing. That is why it is very important that we handle this campaign with the urgency it deserves.
We use this campaign as one of our strategies for eliminating violence against women and children. Let us look at what happened on 24 October this year when people who do not have a conscience sexually abused and even killed a child who was only seven years old. This has happened close to us here. This is the cruellest violation of children's rights perpetrated by the meanest people we have ever seen. The researchers say that every six hours a woman is killed by her partner.]
The campaign raises awareness about gender-based violence as a human rights issue at local, national, regional and international levels. It also strengthens local work around violence against women. It establishes a clear link between local and international work to end violence against women and children. It provides a forum in which organisers can develop and share new and more effective strategies. It also demonstrates the solidarity of women around the world standing up against violence against women and children. It creates tools to put pressure on ourselves as government to implement promises made to eliminate violence against women and children.
Uma thina njengohulumeni sibeka uMthetho othile, lowo Mthetho usuke uyisu noma uyicebo lokulungisa izihibe noma izingqinamba ezimpilweni zabantu abathile. Thina-ke siyingxenye yaleNdlu sigixabezwe ngamandla okulandela ukuphenya, ukubuza kanye nokubheka ngeso lokhozi uma kunezinkomba zokuthi uMthetho obekiwe awuzifezi izinhloso zawo. Phela eyethu indaba icace bha kuhle kwekati elimhlophe ehlungwini. Eyethu indaba ukushintsha izimpilo zabantu zibe ngcono kunalokho eziyikho.
Ake ngithathe lomkhankaso esingawo namuhla ngiwuqhathanise nenhloso yecebo esalibopha eminyakeni eyishumi eyedlule - uMthetho Wokuhlukunyezwa Wasekhaya. Ngiyavuma ukuthi lo Mthetho ngeke ube nazo zonke izimpendulo zezinkinga esibhekene nazo. Kuyavela nokho ukuthi lo Mthetho awukwenzi ngokwanele lokhu obekelwe khona. Lokhu kusho ukuthi thina singamalungu aleNdlukazi sihlale phansi siwucubungule kabusha. Yikona-ke lokhu okuholele ekutheni ikomidi eliphathelene nomama, abantwana, intsha nabantu abaphila nokukhubazeka libone isidingo sokuba nembizo izolo nanamuhla ukuze sikwazi ukuhlanganisa amakhanda nalabo abathintekile.
Ake sibheke lezi zihibe ezidala ukuthi lo Mthetho ungasebenzi: Ingabe izinsiza zanele ukwenza lo Mthetho usebenze kahle? Ingabe amaphoyisa ethu aqeqeshwe ngokwanele ngalo Mthetho? Ingabe umhlukunyezwa uvikelekile kulezi zinswelaboya? Ingabe abesifazane abangamaphoyisa basetshenziswa ngokwanele ekubhekeleleni ngokusebenza kwalo Mthetho? Ingabe lo Mthetho ubhalwe ngezilimi eziqondwa abantu? Ingabe yonke iminyango engenelele iyakwazi yini efanele ikuphonse esivivaneni ukuze lo Mthetho usebenze na? Uhla lude kungashona ilanga.
Iminyango yonke ethintekayo iyacelwa ngokuzithoba ukuthi ibhukule, izibophe ziqine izinkalo ukuze lo Mthetho usebenze. Sikhuluma ngale Minyango elandelayo: UMnyango Wamaphoyisa, oWezobulungiswa, oWezempilo kanye noWezokuthuthukiswa Komphakathi njalo njalo. Ngiyaphinda futhi ngiqhathanisa umkhankaso esingawo nelinye icebo lethu esilibiza nge-SADC Protocol on Gender and Development. Leli cebo ngelihle ngendlela emangalisayo lapho i-Southern African Development Community i-SADC ngamafishane isho ngazwi linye futhi izibophezela ngokulwa nodlame olubhekiswe komama nasebantwaneni. Ake ngithinte Isigaba sesi-3 sezinhloso zalosomqulu. (Translation of isiZulu paragraphs follows.)
[If as a government we propose a certain Act, that Act is a plan or a strategy for correcting the wrongs in or removing obstacles from the lives of certain groups of people. And we, as part of this House, are given the authority to monitor, to investigate, and to find answers to certain issues and to scrutinise those if there is an indication that an Act that was proposed does not fulfil its objectives. Our mandate is crystal clear. Our mandate is to improve people's lives.
Let me take the campaign which we are discussing here today and compare it with our strategic objectives that we committed ourselves to 10 years ago - the Domestic Violence Act. I know that this Act won't have all the answers to all the problems we are facing. It is evident though that this Act is not doing enough in terms of fulfilling its objectives. This means that we, as the members of this august House, need to sit down and look at it again. This is what prompted the Portfolio Committee on Women, Youth, Children and People with Disabilities to arrange an imbizo which was held yesterday and today so that we can put our heads together with the concerned people.
Let us look at the obstacles that cause this Act to be ineffective: Are there enough facilities for the successful implementation of this Act? Are our police officers well informed about this Act? Are the victims protected from the criminals? Are our female police officers sufficiently deployed in overseeing the effective implementation of this Act? Is this Act written in a language that is understood by the people? Are the departments concerned aware of what they are supposed to do in order for this Act to work? The list is endless - I can spend the whole day on this.
All the departments concerned are humbly requested to pull themselves together, and to take it upon themselves to see to it that this Act is effective. The departments we are referring to are the following: the Department of Police, the Department of Justice and Constitutional Development, the Department of Health, the Department of Social Development, and others. I compare the campaign we are discussing with our other strategy, which is called the SADC Protocol on Gender and Development. This is a wonderful strategy because the Southern African Development Community - SADC in short - pronounced in one voice that it is committed to fighting violence against women and children. Let me quote Article 3 of the objectives of this document.]
It is to provide for the empowerment of women, to eliminate discrimination and to achieve gender equality through the development and implementation of gender-responsive legislation, policies, programmes and projects. It is also to harmonise the implementation of the various instruments to which SADC member states have subscribed at regional, continental and international level on gender equality and equity, which, among others, are the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women, the Convention on the Rights of the Child, the Protocol to the African Charter on Human and Peoples' Rights on the Rights of Women in Africa. For the sake of time, I will not mention all the protocols that are in place.
Other objectives are to address emerging gender issues and concerns; set realistic, measurable targets, timeframes and indicators for achieving gender equality and equity; strengthen, monitor and evaluate the progress made by member states towards reaching the targets and goals set out in the protocol, and to deepen regional integration, attain sustainable development and strengthen community-building.
Sengiphetha Sihlalo, ngibonga izinhlangano zemiphakathi, izinhlangano ezingekho ngaphansi kukahulumeni (NGOs), izinhlangano ezifana ne-ANCWL kanye nazo zonke engingazibalanga. (Translation of isiZulu paragraph follows.)
[In conclusion, Chairperson, I am thankful to the community organisations, the organisations which do not receive government funding, namely NGOs, organisations such as the ANCWL and all the other organisations that I have not mentioned here ...]
... for creating a worldwide social conscience on the negative impact, both on social and economic life, of violence against women, and also for urging that programmes be put in place by other departments throughout the year to create an ongoing awareness.
Kolabo baba abavamise ukuba phambili ekuhlukunyezweni kwabesifazane sithi kubo mabashintshe indlela yokuziphatha futhi mabazi ukuthi siyabathanda futhi siyabahlonipha. Nathi ngokunjalo sifuna ukuthandwa nokuhlonishwa ukuze isithunzi sethu sihlale sivikelekile njalo.
Obaba abazithola besenkingeni yokuhlukunyezwa noma ngabe yingayiphi indlela sithanda ukuthi bazi ukuthi nabo bayingxenye yazakhamuzi zaseMzansi. Lo Mthetho ebengikhuluma ngawo uyabavikela nabo, ngakho-ke siyabanxusa ukuthi babe nesibindi, baphumele obala bangafeli ngaphakathi kuhle kwebutho likaShaka. Ngiyabonga kakhulu. (Translation of isiZulu paragraphs follows.)
[To those men who are always at the forefront in abusing women, we would like to say that they need to change their ways and they must know that we love and respect them. We also need to be loved and respected so that our dignity can always be protected.
As for those men who find themselves in an abusive situation anyway, we would like them to know that they too are part of the South African citizenry. They too are protected by the same Act I was referring to. Therefore, we are pleading with them to be courageous and to come out in the open and not die a silent death like King Shaka's army. Thank you very much.]