Bishop Rubin Phillip of the Anglican Diocese of KwaZulu-Natal says all churches should unite in fighting the scourge of gender-based violence in society. This call comes after the body of the Pastor’s wife was found in bushes near Eshowe, north of the province.
It’s alleged that she committed suicide in order to escape the abusive relationship she had with her husband, the Pastor of the church.
Phillip says the church as a whole has not done enough to deal with gender-based violence.
“The church recognises that gender-based violence is a serious scourge that we’re facing in society and I must be honest and say that whilst the church has attempted to deal with the matter, it hasn’t done enough and it realises that a lot more needs to be done. We were discussing how we and not just as the Anglican Church and all the churches together might deal with the issue of abuse and gender-based violence.”
In the video below, the SABC reports that SA’s gender-based violence rates are higher than the global average.
Fighting GBV in the midst of COVID-19
Analyst and Activist Khaya Sithole said on Thursday that there is a need for people with power to exercise their power immediately against GBV. This comes as GBV and femicide continue to be at the forefront during COVID-19 and the national lockdown.
Earlier this week, a 31-year-old man was arrested in connection with the murder of Tshegofatso Pule.
Pule’s body was found hanging from a tree in Roodepoort, Gauteng, more than a week ago. The 28-year-old, who was eight months pregnant, had been stabbed in the chest.
“Actually, there is one variable of this particular conversation that you are in full control of, tell us exactly what it is that you have done in order to address this (GBV). How are we in 2020 still hearing people still saying, ‘well, actually I want to report an incident and this is what the policeman or policewoman said? I wasn’t taken seriously. It was not a secure environment. I was in the middle of a room with 20 other people and it was a very vulnerable and emotional time for me,’” Sithole said.
In the video below, the UN calls for an all-society approach to fight gender-based violence.
Songo Didiza, a Green economist, Founder and CEO of GreenBDG (Green Building Design Group), said on Thursday that South Africans need to think outside the box by looking into the technology to fight GBV.
“Are there ways in which we look towards technology to help enforce our security systems, our court systems? Let’s think outside the box and how do we also collaborate as men and as women and taking up a solution?”
As many cases of femicide have been reported, men were urged to end the abuse and murder of women.
Didiza added that, as a nation, we need to stop protecting the perpetrators.
“Let’s bring it back to organisations. We cannot as organisations and organisational leaders sit in a position where we are financing femicide in the country; where you have leaders of an organisation also part of the problem being financed. For me, I say take this power away from femicide. Stop protecting the perpetrators.”
