KZN Finance MEC Ravi Pillay has called on men to be at the forefront of the war on gender-based violence and the abuse of women and children.
Pillay has called on all sectors of society to join in the fight against violence directed at women and children.
The MEC was speaking at an event to mark the official commencement of the 16 Days of Activism for no Violence Against Women and Children campaign, held at Bruntville in Mooi River, KwaZulu-Natal on Monday.
“It is our collective duty to fight this scourge. We should talk about it while sitting at the dinner table. We should preach about it at our places of worship [and] teach our children about it at school. We should discuss it during our bus and taxi rides to work.
“We should support those who are victims of the violence and not encourage a culture of silence. We must stand up and report those who are guilty of committing these crimes, no matter the positions they hold in society,” Pillay said.
Pillay said the numbers of women and children who get murdered each day was staggering and men needed to be at the forefront of all efforts to end the scourge.
The MEC also reported back on the Emergency Action Plan on Gender-Based Violence and Femicide (GBVF) announced by President Cyril Ramaphosa in October 2019 that has seen R1.6 billion of government funding reprioritised towards programmes to tackle gender-based violence.
The plan focuses on improving access to justice for survivors, prevention campaigns to change attitudes and behaviour, measures to strengthen the criminal justice system, and the creation of economic opportunities for women who are vulnerable to abuse.
This year’s 16 Days of Activism will be observed under the theme “Enough is Enough: 365 days to end Gender-Based Violence and Femicide (GBVF)". – SAnews.gov.za
