The Progressive Women’s Movement of South Africa has described the presidential summit on gender-based violence as one of the most remarkable events that took place in 2018.
The women’s movement was reflecting on some of the highlights of 2018.
The summit, which took place in November, was hosted by the presidency in partnership with the Justice Department and various civil society organisations including the Total Shutdown Movement.
The Summit heard harrowing stories of gende-based violence and femicide from victims. Progressive Women’s Movement National Convenor Hlengiwe Mkhize says it was a very touching event.
“The testimonies of young people in democracy with the kind of constitution they have, they made all of us to experience the pain and sadness of feeling that it’s almost like we have let them down. Our structures, the Thuthuzela Centres, the criminal justice system, issues were getting lost between the police and the Magistrate’s
Courts, the district surgeons and doctors had to intervene as well to strengthen the cases. Everything we have done in democracy seems not to have worked well for those young people,” says Mkhize.
