As the country marks Child Protection Week, the Department of Social Development has called for accountability from communities, families and churches on the many cases of gender-based violence and femicide in the country.

Speaking to the GCIS Radio Unit on Thursday, the department's Chief Director: Victim Empowerment, Social Crime and Substance Abuse, Siza Magangoe, said that Pillar 4 of the National Strategic Plan (NSP) on Gender-Based Violence and Femicide talks about accountability, coordination and leadership.

In order for the country to really deal with this matter, everyone, including government, must be accountable.

“Families must be accountable. Schools must be accountable. All leadership in the country - different levels - must be accountable. The churches must also stake accountability for what is happening in their spaces. Everyone is expected to take accountability as far as their role is concerned in those different structures.

“We are all needed in dealing with the scourge of GBVF. Do not look away when you see it happening,” Magangoe said.

She emphasised that the issue of GBVF cannot be managed or resolved by one agency, meaning that authorities alone cannot be the solution.

She said all hands must be on deck to ensure that at the end of the day, the dignity of the victim is restored in full, and they are able to go back to their community and function.

For the country to turn things around, Magangoe said all relevant forums must be included. She referred to Pillar 2 of the NSP, which talks about prevention and building social cohesion.

“We cannot overemphasise the importance of prevention. It's very important because at least when we prevent, the young ones don't have to grow up and become victims. With prevention, we are looking at dealing with toxic masculinity. We're looking at the gender norms. How are we raising the boy child? How are we raising the girl child?

“This thing of always urging girls to persevere in abusive relationships is already preparing women to be the sacrificial lamb in their relationships, which is wrong. On the other hand, we are also preparing men. Are we influencing the curriculum when they go to initiation schools? Are we also teaching them how to respect and treat women well? These are the spaces we must take over if we really want to turn things around,” she said.

Changing behaviour

Touching on the Pillar 3 of the NSP, which talks about justice, safety and protection, Magangoe said in order to change people’s behaviour, the law needs to change.

“We have seen this work during the COVID-19 pandemic. There was law that required people to wear their masks and they knew that if they don’t do it, they will get arrested. This changes people’s behaviour. So the same must apply with GBVF."

Changes to legislation have made it possible for others to apply for a protection order.

"You do not need the victim’s consent to open a case or seek a protection order. The law has given us a responsibility... You cannot stand by and say 'it has nothing to do with me'. The fact that you are witnessing means you are involved,” Magangoe said.

She explained that GBVF is unequal power relations between genders, and these unequal power relations between genders lead to violence.

"We need to go back to the model of street-to-street communities, where people would speak about these issues collectively and stand up to report and expose abuse. We all we all have a responsibility to make sure that we feel safe because these are our communities. Take ownership and responsibility by reporting. Solutions must come from communities and we as government give support. Secrecy makes GBVF thrive,” she said.

Magangoe encouraged communities to use government's Thuthuzela Care Centres (TCCs), which are one-stop facilities that have been introduced as a critical part of South Africa’s anti-rape strategy. The centres are aimed at reducing secondary victimisation and building cases ready for successful prosecution.

The Thuthuzela project is led by the National Prosecuting Authority's Sexual Offences and Community Affairs Unit (SOCA), in partnership with various departments and donors.

Child Protection Week

Turning the spotlight on Child Protection Week, which concludes on 4 June, the Department of Social Development's Acting Chief Director: Child Protection, Neliswa Cekiso, called on every citizen to work together to ensure that children are protected from abuse, neglect, degradation, as well as maltreatment.

“Let us all work together to build a society that cares for and protects children because children, by virtue of being children, are vulnerable. Therefore, their rights need to be protected.

“We need to ensure that through Child Protection Week... we look at what services we have in place and what impact these services make on children's lives. Child Protection Week is geared towards mobilising communities to ensure that there are safety nets within our communities,” Cekiso said.

National Child Protection Week is commemorated in the country annually to raise awareness of the rights of childre,n as articulated in the Constitution of the Republic of South Africa and Children's Act (Act No. 38 of 2005).

The campaign mobilises all sectors and communities towards development, care, and protection of children.

This year, the campaign will focus on RISIHA, a community-based prevention and early intervention programme, aimed at moving children from vulnerability to resilience.

This campaign forms part of the Department of Social Development’s role in implementing Pillar 4 of the NSP on GBVF, focusing on response, care, support and healing. – SAnews.gov.za

Source: South African Government News Agency