Minister in the Presidency responsible for women, youth, and persons with disabilities, Sindisiwe Chikunga, has called on all South Africans to support the country’s ongoing efforts to combat Gender-Based Violence and Femicide (GBV-F), including incidents committed by intimate partners and family members.
Chukunga described the scourge of gender-based violence and femicide (GBV-F) as a national crisis.
“There is an urgent need to invest adequate resources to respond to the GBV-F pandemic and all forms of discrimination by society and the government,” she said.
Chikunga said despite decades of activism, advocacy, and efforts by both government and non-government actors, recent studies indicate that there has been insufficient progress in addressing intimate partner violence and related forms of violence.
“While our government has heeded this call and elevated the fight against GBV-F into one of its top priorities, we are the first to acknowledge that, in the past 30 years of democratic dispensation, the plight of women and girls in South Africa has remained deplorable and far from ideal.”
Chikunga highlighted the importance of addressing gender-based violence as the 7th administration begins.
“The master’s tools will not destroy the master’s house. We need new tools, and we need them urgently. South Africans have bestowed on our shoulders a responsibility to recognise and respond appropriately to the systemic and structural nature of discrimination, and violence against women and girls.
“We can no longer tinker on the edges and expect systemic results,” Chikunga said.
She emphasised the necessity for systemic change across diverse sectors such as education, religion, culture, sports, and creative environments.
“Our values and practices must be put into question and deliberately repurposed to support the fight against patriarchal chauvinism in all spheres of life.
“We need systemic change, and as a department, we are committed to enforcing gender equality throughout government and society as a constitutional imperative and not as an afterthought that emerges when the next victim is lying cold,” Chikunga said.
Chikunga underscored the critical role of community intelligence in achieving justice, engaging researchers, scholars, advocates, and activists who can develop an in-depth understanding from communities affected by violence.
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