Violence against women and children

As the 16 days of activism against the abuse of women and
children come to an end to-day, 10 December, the Congress of
South African Trade Unions thanks all those who joined the
campaign and took a stand against the rising tide of violence
against the most vulnerable sections of our society.

Sadly however we cannot report that the problem has been
solved. Every day there are new reports of yet more sickening,
violent attacks, particularly the rape of young girls and even
babies. COSATU repeats its total condemnation of such acts.
There can be absolutely no justification for such barbarism. We
reject totally the evil lie that sex with a virgin is a cure for
HIV/Aids and condemn anyone who spreads such myths.

COSATU reiterates its demand that the law must ruthlessly deal
with those who rape children, with the maximum possible
sentences for those found guilty of these horrific crimes. There
can be absolutely no mitigating circumstances for such disgusting
acts.

But these incidents of child rape are only the worst examples of
a growing crisis of violence against women and children. Not
only does such violence cause lasting damage to its victims but it
creates a climate of fear and suspicion, where women are afraid
to speak out because they do not have confidence that the law
will protect them and children cannot grow up in a peaceful and
stable environment.

The scale of the problem is so great that it will taker more that a
16-day campaign to eradicate it. It requires a massive task of
education, to shift people’s mindset away from the culture of
violence and create communities where people trust and respect
each other and feel confident in reporting violence incidents
knowing that the perpetrators will be arrested and prosecuted
and where children will no longer see violence as normal in
society.

COSATU will intensify its work with community workers,
teachers, parents, social workers, youth organisations,
employers, doctors and children, to reach agreement on
measures to combat the scourge of violence, including setting up
support groups for victims and raising awareness of women’s
and children’s rights.

Violence against women is a global issue and we cannot rest as
long as women and children anywhere are beaten, molested,
raped, tormented, brutalised or denied their right to be
protected. Violence also has severe physical and mental health
consequences for the women and children involved and is
internationally recognised as a major human rights violation. It
must be stopped now!

In the background to the rising tide of violence is the desperate
poverty in which thousands of families live, made worse by
rocketing unemployment. While it can never be an excuse for
violence, poverty robs people of their dignity. It gives rise to
manifestations of social instability like drug and alcohol abuse
and addictive gambling, which can lead to despair and violence.
The biggest challenge we face is to defeat unemployment and
eradicate poverty and build a stable and caring society.

We demand that:

Þ The Departments of Justice and Safety and Security impose
sentences on perpetrators of violence and abuse of women
and children that reflect the seriousness of the crime
Þ Life sentence be mandatory for the rape of children, for
which there can be no mitigating circumstances;
Þ The laws against violence against women and children be
implemented effectively and that victims to be informed
about their constitutional rights to protection from the police
and courts;
Þ The police create an environment in police stations which is
conducive to reporting such crimes and where police officer
treat women and children sensitively;
Þ The Government join forces with civil society in a long-term
community intervention strategy to raise awareness and
reach all levels of society to eradicate this problem;
Þ The Government provide funds to achieve these objectives.

[Note to labour reporters; If this statement is not in your area of
policy, please pass it on to the news or social affairs desk.]

Patrick Craven and Moloto Mothapo
Acting COSATU Spokespersons
011 339 4911 0r 082 821 7456

[email protected]
082-821-7456
339-4911

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Contact 082-821-7456 Patrick Craven or Moloto Mothapo for further comment.

Visit the COSATU web site at http://www.cosatu.org.za/press/latest.html for copies
of our most recent press statements. For the full archive go to:
http://www.cosatu.org.za/press/archive.html.

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It's free!

COSATU takes steps to ensure that any attachments are free from viruses. You
should, however, carry out your own virus check before opening any attachment.
COSATU accepts no liability for loss or damage caused by software viruses.

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